Most children will experience nightmares, and other sleep disorders such as night terrors and sleepwalking occur less frequently. Parents can comfort their children after a nightmare and keep their children out of harm’s way during episodes of night terrors or sleepwalking. But what can parents do when these sleep disorders are severe? What are the consequences of frequently disturbing sleep? What causes nightmares? When is it appropriate to see a specialist for these problems? We discuss these issues and more in this nightmarish episode.
This episode written by Drs. Dean Blumberg and Lena van der List.
Thank you to neighbor Violet for suggesting this episode topic. We also thank Dr. Kiran Nandalike, a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Tom Anders, a child psychiatrist and specialist in pediatric sleep disorders at Brown University for reviewing this episode, although Drs. Dean and Lena take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation.
Supplemental material:

* Healthy Children Nightmares and Night Terrors in Preschoolers

* Zero to Three What Can I Do About My Toddler's Nightmares?

* Psychology Today Nightmares

* Healthy Children Sleep Apnea Detection

* Sumit Bhargava Pediatrics in Review article Diagnosis and Management of Common Sleep Problems in Children

Photo from SingleMoms.org