NIGHT TERROR AND SLEEPING WALK

Night Terrors & Sleepwalking Night terrors commonly occur within 2 hours after falling asleep, during the deepest stage of NREM sleep, and are often associated with sleepwalking. They occur in about 3% of children and most cases occur between ages 3 and 8 years.

SYMPTOMS:

During a night terror, the child may sit up in bed screaming, thrashing about, and exhibiting rapid breathing, tachycardia, and sweating. The child is often incoherent and unresponsive to comforting. The episode may last up to ~ hour, after which the child goes back to sleep and has no memory of the event the next day.

MANAGEMENT

Management of night terrors consists of reassurance of the parents plus measures to avoid stress, irregular sleep schedule, or sleep deprivation, which prolongs deep sleep when night terrors occur. Scheduled awakening (awakening the child 30-45 minutes before the time the night terrors usually occur) has been used in children with nightly or frequent night terrors, but there is little evidence that this is effective.

Sleepwalking also occurs during slow-wave/deep sleep and is common between 4 and 8 years of age. It is often associated with other complex behaviors during sleep. It is typically benign except that injuries can occur while the child is walking around. Steps should be taken to ensure that the environment is free of obstacles and that doors to the outside are locked. Parents may also wish to put a bell on their child's door to alert them that the child is out of bed. As with night terrors, steps should be taken to avoid stress and sleep deprivation.

HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT:

Cina : This is a children's remedy,-big, fat, rosy, scrofulous, corresponding to many conditions that may be referred to intestinal irritation, such as worms and accompanying complaints. An irritability of temper, variable appetite, grinding of teeth, and even convulsions, with screams and violent jerkings of the hands and feet, are all within its range of action. The Cina patient is hungry, cross, ugly, and wants to be rocked. Night terrors of children; cries out, screams, wakes frightened. Troubles while yawning. Screams and talks in sleep. Grits teeth.

Chamomile: The chief guiding symptoms belong to the mental and emotion group, which lead to this remedy in many forms of disease. Especially of frequent employment in diseases of children, where peevishness, restlessness, and colic give the needful indications. A disposition that is mild, calm and gentle; sluggish and constipated bowels contra-indicate chamomilla. Drowsiness with moaning, weeping and wailing during sleep; anxious, frightened dreams, with half-open eyes.

Kali Bromatum: Restless sleep. Extreme drowsiness.. Grinding teeth in sleep. Horrible dreams. Somnambulism. NIGHT TERRORS OF CHILDREN ; grinding of teeth in sleep, screams, moans, cries.

-Night terrors followed by squinting.

Hyoscyamus: Starts up frightened. Nightly sleeplessness.-Child sobs and cries in sleep without waking.-Profound, comatose sleep, with convulsions and involuntary movements of the limbs, esp. the hands.-When sleeping, carphologia; or smiling countenance; or starts with fright.

Stramonium: Awaken terrified; screams with fright. Deep snoring sleep. Sleepy, but cannot sleep.