Night Terrors on Well Street

There are a few difference between a nightmare and a nightterror. Most noteable are the ability to wake, and the ability to remember the dream. When someone has a nightmare, they can be woken up (or wake up on their own), they can be comforted, and usually they can remember what that nightmare was about. During a night terror, however, it's just the opposite, the individual is hard to wake, difficult to comfort, and cannot recall the dream. And, unfortunately, we believe Jackson may be suffering from occasional night terrors. It happened just before kindergarten last summer, once during his kindergarten year in school, and now for the third time just a few nights ago. It is a fact night terrors are more common in boys, but, the onset of a night terror could be for any number of reasons, like, too much stress/anxiety, sleep deprivation, big change or drama, etc. When it comes to Jackson, Jason and I feel it is simply the loss of a normal and early bedtime routine. During the summer we become more relaxed with our kids' bedtimes, and as a result, their bedtime routines suffer as well. While the girls tend to get pretty tired and are good about falling asleep around 8 or 8:30 every night, Jackson can stay up until 10:30 without any trouble at all. It'll be 10:30 one night for him, and then 8:30 the next night. Not to mention his normal routine with reading books before bed also gets pushed to the wayside, especially on the late nights. So, when Jason and I discussed some ideas as to why Jackson may be having night terrors, his bedtime inconsistency turned out to be the best answer. In order to fix the problem, we have to focus on creating a more "normal bedtime routine." Obviously, there will be exceptions, i.e. our family Jellystone and Detroit Lakes trips, when an early bedtime will not be feasable, but for the most part, Jason and I will be making a conscious effort to regain and maintain control over bedtime. Night terrors are scary and horrible for all those involved. I'm hopeful our plan will work, and may Jackson please never have to go through such a difficult night again!