Peacefully sleeping baby is a picture that evokes happy whispers and tenderness of adults. However, children's sleep is often not as joyful as we would like it to be. A common cause of anxiety and screaming during sleep is nightmares. To solve the problem, it is important to know why this is happening and how to deal with it.
Causes of nightmares
There are several reasons for the occurrence of disturbing dreams in children:
1. Overexcitation. The child's nervous system is still too weak to adequately respond to an oversaturated day. Vivid emotions and strong impressions are woven into one ball. The brain, not having time to process them during the waking period of the child, postpones work until later. Thus, the child's sleep turns into a battlefield.
2. Eating food at night. Some parents make the mistake of allowing their children to satisfy their hunger after 8pm. Heavy foods keep the body from resting, causing stress that leads to nightmares.
3. Psychological trauma. A strong emotional shock in real life leads to the conservation of fear in the unconscious. The child may not even understand that he was scared. Loud laughter of a negative character in the film, warning barking of a dog, a terrible accident, etc. can permanently deprive a child of good sleep.
There have been cases when the cause of sleep disturbance was an operation. While half asleep (when the anesthesia had not yet fully worked), the children experienced the strongest fear of falling off the operating table. Falling asleep and lying in bed evoked similar associations and responses - fear and screaming.
4. External annoying factors: loud noises from the street, cold or stuffy room, dusty toy (many children love to fall asleep in an embrace with plush friends and strongly protest when parents try to wash this miracle), etc.
5. Development of various diseases. Bad dreams can reflect negative changes in the body: inflammatory processes, neuroses, increased anxiety, high fever, pain, etc. Sleep disturbances are often caused by holding the breath for 15-20 seconds (apnea). The brain gives alarming signals, and the child dreams that he is suffocating or someone is strangling him.
How to overcome bad dreams
It is recommended to maintain a sleep and wakefulness regimen. Children 2 years old should sleep at least 2 hours during the day, and at least 9 at night. Preparing for sleep involves observing the ritual: remove toys, take a bath, go to bed. An hour before the expected sleep, it is necessary to change active play activities to more relaxed ones: watching good cartoons, reading fairy tales, etc. The last meal should be no later than 19-30. Limit yourself to a light dinner, and before bedtime (if you have an irresistible desire for a snack), offer your child a glass of milk or kefir.
Ask your child tactfully about their fears. It is better to do this in the form of a game. Play around various scary situations, let the kid's favorite toy take part in the story. Remember to remind your child that you love him and always protect him from unpleasant situations.
Most children are afraid of the dark. Get a dim light. The light should be soft, diffuse. When placing the lamp next to the bed, point the lamp away from the child, not towards him. Luminous balls with the effect of the starry sky are considered popular children's lamps.
Be sure to ventilate the child's room: in the summer, you can constantly leave the windows open (if there is silence in the yard and taking into account safety, so that the baby does not want to go out through the window somewhere), in the winter you can open it for 15-30 minutes, after sending the child to another room or walk.
Keeping clean and tidy also has a positive effect on the organization of sleep. Bed linen should be changed as it gets dirty (but at least once a week), toys should be washed and washed. The quality of the bedding should also be considered. It might be time to replace the mattress or pillow / duvet filler.
If the nightmares continue to bother you, and the child has become nervous and intimidated, it is recommended to see a neurologist. An experienced professional will help identify the problem and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
