How to Assist Your Child in Overcoming Nightmares That Recur

It's a disturbing but somewhat frequent sensation to have your child occasionally wake up and cry out in terror or go into your bed pleading for you to save him from a "monster." Even though a child's fears can often be momentarily eased and his sleep soundly resumed with basic parental support and comfort (i.e., physical affection and assurances of safety), nightmares can occasionally become unsettlingly persistent, necessitating parents to look into additional coping mechanisms.

Try the following suggestions if your child is experiencing frequent, random nightmares or a single, persistent bad dream that he cannot seem to get rid of. While there is no surefire way to stop nightmares, they can be handled more easily with understanding and parent-child communication. For your child, knowing how to deal with nightmares may also be a liberating experience that makes him feel more in charge of his own body and mind.

Comprehending Childhood Nightmares

Children frequently experience nightmares—dreams that awaken them from deep sleep—and bad dreams—dreams that they recall upon waking up in the morning. The reason for this phenomenon is not fully understood, but it may have to do with the fact that children's brains are developing quickly and are processing a lot of information. A recent study from Maastricht University found that roughly 67% of kids between the ages of four and six said they "sometimes" or "often" had scary dreams; this number jumps to 96% in kids between the ages of seven and nine, then drops to 76% in kids in the preteen years.

This is not to say that all childhood dreams are awful, though; just roughly 27% of children have bad dreams; the majority of dreams are pleasant or neutral in nature. The majority of children dream about ghosts, monsters, the possibility of harm to themselves or their loved ones, or frightening creatures, according to a study conducted in the Netherlands. These negative nightmares are also typically pretty straightforward in nature, making them simple to solve. Dreams of kidnapping may also occur in children older than six.

No matter what age group a child belongs to, the following facts is likely to have an impact on his dreams: Just 15% of children reported having nightmares based on real-life experiences, but over 70% said that the subjects of their nightmares were things they had heard about during the day, such as a news report about a violent crime or a terror attack.

The Connection Between Anxiety And Nightmares

Even though youngsters frequently experience nightmares, it's crucial to recognize the significance of these experiences because numerous studies have demonstrated a robust connection between frightful dreams and tension and anxiety during the day. In addition to occasionally learning about actual concerns that frighten their kids by listening to what they say about their dreams (like as concerns about kidnapping), persistently terrible nightmares can also be a sign that a child is experiencing unusually high levels of anxiety. If so, it is important to investigate the cause of your child's worry. It's possible that he is coping with ongoing stress or that he experienced a negative event that he is reluctant to discuss (for example, he might be the target of bullying at school).

Assisting Your Youngster in Managing Dreams

To assist your child in overcoming persistent or recurrent nightmares, in addition to looking into any potential causes of exceptional stress in his daily life, you should:

• – Create a relaxing nighttime ritual and follow it every night. Children who lack sleep are more likely to experience nightmares, which can swiftly spiral into a dangerous cycle, according to research: A child is more likely to fight going to bed when he experiences more nightmares. Create a calming nighttime ritual to stop this from happening: At least an hour before bedtime, take your child away from any media (internet, phone, TV, etc.) and spend time doing something soothing and constructive like reading a bedtime tale.
• – Instruct your kids in relaxing techniques. Try teaching your child to relax using deep breathing techniques (counting might help your child focus on his breathing), positive visualization, and muscle relaxation if he is nervous about going to bed. If your child is too young to understand these techniques, consider other methods of creating a similarly peaceful mood. For example, you could have your child take a warm bath right before bed, after which they could sit with you and make a list of enjoyable activities and things to look forward to before bed.
• – Offer solace goods. Many kids value having some sort of safety net, like "monster spray," a flashlight that's close to the bed, a nightlight, or a dream catcher or other "magical" device. You should also give your child a stuffed animal; based on your child's disposition, he may want to guard the animal or feel protected by it; studies indicate that both of these strategies are generally successful in lowering anxiety and terror throughout the night.
• – Teach your kids about aspirations. Children usually give dreams magical elements that make them feel more terrifying, although adults typically grasp dreams for what they are—conjurations of the mind that generally have no meaningful meaning. For example, a child may assume dreams are prophetic in nature. Therefore, you should explain to your child that dreams are merely harmless thoughts and that they are no more "real" than the imaginary worlds they create when playing. If your youngster is reluctant to embrace this concept, ask him to try to "imagine" something unlikely happening; when it doesn't, he will start to realize that ideas have no control over the material world.
• – To help your child stop having nightmares, assist them in altering their story. It is sometimes ineffective and damaging to merely inform your youngster that his frequent, terrible nightmare is "not real." Rather, give him more control by having him close his eyes and vividly picture a different ending to the nightmare; for instance, he could believe that he has magical abilities and transforms the scary monster into a tiny mouse or banishes it to a different dimension. Encourage your youngster to draw this new story if he likes to do so, since it will help him remember these happy pictures. When kids overcome their nightmares in this way, they feel like they have some control over them and are therefore less afraid of them in the future.