No Need To Be Terrified By Child's Night Terrors

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you have ever witnessed a child experiencing a night terror you probably do not need my description. But these episodes that occur in the first few hours of sleep can be dramatic for parents and caregivers.

A child actually can be sleeping well but will wake up about a half an hour or 45 minutes into sleep screaming wildly. They're screaming because they really don't know what's going on. They look right past you. They have no idea what the issue is.

As you can imagine, this can be quite frightening. During a night terror, all you need to do is comfort the child. There is little sense in reasoning with him or her, you'll just get a faraway look.

In a short time, the child will either calm down and go to sleep or snap out of it and talk to you logically.

Obviously, if you have any concerns, talk with your doctor and don't forget to tell the babysitter if you have a child that's going through that stage.