Why has my 19 month old son began getting very angry in the middle of the night?

Question

My otherwise loving and wonderful 19 month old has started getting very angry in the middle of the night and my wife and I can not figure out why. Let me first say that he has never slept well. In his 19 months on this earth I think he has slept straight through the night a total of three weeks. For a while we got up with him 3 or 4 times a night, more recently it has been reduced to him crying out at some point and then putting himself back to sleep. We have noticed that he has become more easily frustrated during the day, but figured it was just a phase and that he is frustrated because he can't fully use his words yet. The night thing scares us though.

When he wakes up at night (four nights in a row now), we can here him yelling STOP! and the hitting the crib. When we walk in to soothe him he becomes angry and swings at us and gets an angry tone to his voice and then throws himself back into a sleeping position. When I then try to leave the room he wakes back up and the cycle starts over. This goes on for 15 minutes or so until he finally lets me hold him and he falls back asleep.

I guess I am curious to see if anyone has ever been through something similar. We are thinking of sleep tests eventually, but didn't want to rush into it. Also, I will be calling the doctor later to get her opinion, but I wanted yours as well.

Thanks.

Answer 1

It's clear he is having dreams. Do he go to daycare. Is he going thru separation anxiety with you to. My 23 month old is going thru it now and it is effecting her sleeping at night also. She wakes up crying, don's want me to touch her. I try and comfort her as much as I can but nothing helps. I am working with the daycare to see what we can do.

Answer 2

He is having dreams and very afraid.  When this happens go to his room and just rub his back and soothe him until he calms down.  Try if you can to not take him out of his crib or it could create another problem.  But just sit with him or stay in the room till he calms down.  

Answer 3

MY daughter is 18 months. She  has never slept more than 3 hours through the night. The last few months she cries in her sleep as well as talks. She does get angry and hit the crib from tossing herself. She likes me to hold her for comfort. During the day is is fine but non stop...I cant help for advice but I am in the same boat!