Causes of night terrors
There are several causes of children anxiety dreams:
1. Excitement. Baby's nervous system is still too weak to respond adequately to saturated day. Vivid emotions and strong impressions are woven in a tangle. The brain, unable to process them in a period of wakefulness of the child, postpone the work for later. Thus, a child's dream turns into a battlefield.
2. Eating for the night. Some parents make the mistake of allowing the children to satisfy his hunger after 20-00. Junk food makes the body to relax, causing the stress that leads to nightmares.
3. Psychological trauma. Severe emotional distress in real life leads to the preserving of fear in the unconscious. The child might not even understand that he was scared. Loud laughter negative character in the film, warning a dog barking, a terrible accident, etc. can permanently deprive the child of a good night's sleep.
There were cases when the cause of sleep disorders was surgery. Being half asleep (when anesthesia is not yet completely worked), the children felt a strong fear of falling from the operating table. Immersion in sleep and supine position in bed caused similar associations and corresponding reaction - fear and cry.
4. External irritants: loud sounds from the street, cold or stuffiness in the room, dusty toys (many babies love to fall asleep hugging my Teddy friends and strongly resent when parents try this miracle to wash), etc.
5. The development of various diseases. Bad dreams can reflect negative changes occurring in the body: inflammation, nervousness, increased anxiety, high fever, pain and so on. Often the cause of sleep disorders is the breath in for 15-20 seconds (apnea). The brain takes the alarm, and the child dreams that he is choking or someone is choking.
How to overcome bad dreams
It is recommended to respect the sleep and wakefulness. Children 2 years of age needs to sleep during the day at least 2 hours, and at night no less than 9. Bedtime routine involves the observance of the ritual: tidy up toys, take a bath, go to bed. An hour before the intended sleep, you must change the active gaming activities in a more relaxed: watching good cartoons, reading fairy tales etc. Last meal should be no later 19-30. Limit yourself to a light dinner, and before bedtime (if there is an overwhelming desire to eat) offer the child a glass of milk or yogurt.
Tactfully ask the child about his fears. Better to do it in the form of games. Beat various a terrible situation, let the kid's favorite toy will take part in the story. Don't forget to remind your child that you love him and always protect yourself from unpleasant situations.
Most children experience fear of darkness. Purchase a dim lamp. The light should be soft scattering. Placing the lamp next to the bed, Shine the lamp from the baby, not him. Popular children's lamps glowing orbs are considered with the effect of a starry sky.
Be sure to ventilate the baby's room: in summer it is possible to constantly leave the Windows open (in the presence of silence in the yard and with security in mind, the baby did not want to through the window to go out), winter open for 15-30 minutes, pre-sending a child to another room or for a walk.
Observance of cleanliness and order also has a positive effect on the organization of sleep. Bed linen should be changed as needed (but not less than 1 time per week), toys to wash and wash. It should take into account the quality of bedding. Perhaps it's time to replace the mattress or filler in pillows/blankets.
If the nightmares continue to bother you, but the child was nervous and intimidated, it is recommended to visit a neurologist. An experienced specialist will help you determine the problem and prescribe the appropriate treatment.