Are you terrified at night by the sound of your child crying in his sleep and you struggle to get him back to sleep again? Find out why it happens children’s nightmares And how can you rid your child of this problem.

children’s nightmares

It is normal for children to have disturbing dreams about real things that they avoid, such as ferocious animals and insects, or imaginary things such as monsters, or even about traumatic events that they went through, and it happens that the nightmare comes to the child in a stage of sleep called “rapid eye movement” and is the stage in which The brain is active and occurs in the second half of the sleep stage, after which the child finds it difficult to go back to sleep again.

Signs of a child seeing a nightmare

When a child has a nightmare, and according to his age and the development of his speech, he may tell his parents about the dreams he sees and what he feels about them and often remembers them. In the event that the child is unable to speak or does not remember, the child may wake up from his sleep screaming and kicking with his legs, and signs of fear appear on his face.

Causes of nightmares in children

“Why do my child have nightmares?” The answer to this question depends on the following:

• The events that your child may have gone through or the fears he suffers from that his mind stores and expresses during sleep.
• A change in the child’s life or going through a situation that caused him psychological pressure, such as going to a new school, moving to a new house, the birth of a brother or sister, problems between parents.
• Children’s nightmares may be a normal reaction Posttraumatic stress disorder in a child As a result of catastrophic accidents such as car accidents, earthquakes, fires.
• Children who have a fertile imagination may also suffer from nightmares, especially when they read horror stories or watch scary movies on television.
• A child may have a nightmare because of ordinary things or people in his daily life, but his mind transforms these ordinary things and people into terrifying things and people he sees in a dream.

How do I deal with children’s nightmares?

There are many steps that you can take if your child had a nightmare in his sleep to get rid of his fear and go back to sleep, as follows:

• Emphasizing your child that you are always beside him, and your presence beside your child at this time gives him a sense of safety and protection.
• Reassure your child that what he experienced was just a bad dream that did not happen in reality and that this nightmare is over.
• Show your understanding of your child’s fears and let him see that you know how he feels and that everyone always has bad dreams and it’s normal for them to be afraid of them.
• If your child is still very young and has a wide imagination, here are some tricks that can be useful for your child to believe. For example, you can use an empty spray bottle as a spray that hides monsters and sprays the room with it, in the closets and under the bed. You will be surprised at how quickly your child will believe this trick.
• Now is the time to help your baby get back to sleep, find comforting things like his favorite toy, pillow or blanket, or talk to him about pleasant and pleasant things like good memories and stories.
• When your child wakes up the next day, ask him if anything is bothering him, listen and give him confidence that he can always talk to you.

Treating nightmares in children

It is possible to get rid of children’s nightmares and treat them by stimulating your child’s mind to sweet dreams, such as:

• Regulating sleep and waking times.
• Organizing a bedtime routine using ways to make your child feel comfortable before bed such as giving him a warm bath, reading a story, talking about the happy things that happened during the day.
• Arranging the child’s bed and sleeping place to be comfortable and quiet, with his favorite toys around him.
• Don’t make him watch scary movies or read scary stories before bed, or even during the day if he has a wide imagination.

When should you worry about children’s nightmares?

It is important to go to the doctor and seek help from a specialist in these cases:

• If your child’s nightmares become worse or more often.
• If your child’s fears interfere with their daily activities.
• If nightmares become psychological pressure on your child and other psychological disorders appear with them.

finally children’s nightmares It is not something that you have to worry about, most children always have disturbing dreams, and with the passage of time and as they grow, they will begin to recognize their fears and understand the nature of nightmares, and you will not find it difficult to deal with them over time, and if you have any questions, you can consult one of our doctors from here.