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CHILD’S NIGHTMARES: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE AND TREATMENT
Signs and symptoms
A child experiencing a terrifying dream may wake up screaming, frightened, and wild-eyed. The child may be confused or frantically active for several minutes, and may or may not immediately recall the details of the dream. Often the incident will be forgotten by the next morning. Nightmares may also cause the child to sleepwalk.
Home care
Immediate treatment involves holding and hugging the distraught child and speaking calmly and soothingly. Do not try to rouse the child to full consciousness too quickly. Sleepwalkers must be protected from falls or other injuries.
The basic home treatment is to identify and relieve the stress that is causing the child to have nightmares. Most nightmares are the result of a situation such as one of the following: school problems (fear of failure or teacher-student conflicts); peer relationships (playing with older children, being bullied, sexual experimentation); or family pressures (marital friction, alcoholism, physical or emotional abuse, divorce, hospitalization, death). Watching too much TV – or the wrong type of program – can also cause enough anxiety to give child nightmares.
• Be aware of school, social, and family pressures that can cause a child to have nightmares.
• Be sure you know how much TV the child is watching and what kinds of programs.
• Protect a sleepwalking child from injury.
Medical treatment
Your doctor will try to uncover the cause of your child’s anxieties by getting the child to talk about his or her daily relationships and experiences. The doctor may ask for assistance from school personnel in order to identify the reason for the child’s nightmares.
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