Both worry parents, but they are different conditions. Night terrors occur during deep sleep, in the first half of the night, and the child is not actually awake. Nightmares, on the other hand, occur in the second half of the night, during dream sleep, and the child wakes up.

Telling the two apart

Night terror Nightmare
Timing The first hours of the night The second half of the night, towards morning
Wakefulness Not awake, does not respond Wakes up, wants to be held
Appearance Screaming, sweating, racing heart, eyes open Frightened but able to communicate
Memory in the morning Does not remember Can describe the dream
Calming down Difficult; trying to wake the child prolongs the episode Holding and talking are soothing

What to do during a night terror

Rather than trying to wake the child, the essential thing is to keep them safe: prevent them from falling out of bed, move hard objects out of the way, and stay beside them with a calm voice. The episode ends on its own within a few minutes and the child goes back to sleep.

Since the child will not remember the event the next morning, there is no need to describe it or ask questions about it; this only creates unnecessary anxiety in the child.

Triggers

Lack of sleep, an irregular bedtime, excessive tiredness, febrile illness, a full bladder and breathing problems during sleep (snoring, enlarged adenoids) are the most frequently reported triggers.

When to see a doctor

Evaluation is needed if the episodes become more frequent, recur more than once during the same night, cause daytime sleepiness, occur together with snoring and pauses in breathing, are accompanied by convulsion-like movements, or lead to injury.