My 6 year old has been wakening up shaking during the night

Question

she was such a good sleeper till recently where she has been wakeing up usualy about 4am shaking and crying. i have asked her what is wrong, maybe something on her mind, but she promises me there is nothing wrong. i have 2 kids. but this is first time i have experienced this.. help!!

Answer 1

She may be having a nightmare that she cant remember in her REM sleep (rapid eye movement)



If you can or are willing if you wake yourself at around 10 minutes before she generally wakes and rub her back it will be calming and then slowly stop it

Answer 2

You could ask the doctor if anythings wrong but I don't think their is its just nightmares i guess.

Answer 3

a similar thing happened my cousin's daughter...she is 8...and would wake up every night crying and really upset...this went on for 2 full weeks...until my cousin eventually got it out of her that she was getting bullied at school....I'm not saying that's what is happening in your case...but might be worthwhile talking to her teacher...and ask her to keep an eye out (in case something is going on).....

Answer 4

This is called "night terrors" and the fact that it has a name tells you that it isn't rare.

Most children grow out of this. It often runs in families but as you have two other children and have not experienced it before this may not be the case with your child.

The fact that she is telling you that there is nothing wrong indicates that this probably isn't a nightmare, which she would probably remember.

If she is doing it at the same time each night, you could try gently waking her fifteen or twenty minutes before this time, saying goodnight and tucking her up again. This could interrupt the cycle.

As long as she isn't sleepwalking as well, she isn't going to come to any harm. The condition is sometimes triggered by certain foods or over activity or stress during the day. Have there been any recent changes in her diet or routine?

If this persists, or if you think it is affecting her health in any way, don't be afraid to contact your doctor, school nurse, health visitor or any other health care professional for advice. In the worst cases, there are treatments that can help.

There are self help advice pages on the internet but don't let any of them scare you into trying self medication. If you are in the UK, try NHS direct, otherwise try a Google search for "night terrors in young children".

  

Answer 5

is it bad dreams?