Why Do Kids have Nightmares How to Deal with themOnce in our life, we all have already experienced nightmares, they are considered as the reflection of our subconscious mind. Nightmares are often defined as the reoccurrence of the protracted, intensely dysphoric, and well-reminisce dreams that are associated with fears of survival, physical or security integrity.
When adults are surrounded by some thoughts or they are thinking deeply, they are likely to have bad dreams. But, it might be strange for some of the people that kids could have nightmares also. According to researches, around 13.5% of pre-school-aged children experience bad dreams once a week, and the occurrence of its increase in seven 87% to nine years old 95%. For children, these nightmares could be really scary and disturb sleeps, and often troublesome in the daytime.
If your kid ever complains about having nightmares, it is important to take the details and understand the cause. Here is some information that would help you to better understand and deals with nightmares in children.
Causes of Nightmares in Children
The exact cause of nightmares is still unrevealed, however, according to the observations, kids have nightmares when they are scared or stressed due to something. When children are having recurring nightmares, they likely to outburst of temper, give poor academic performance, and become hyperactive.
Usually, nightmares in children occur when they watch horror movies or read a scary story before sleeping. Nightmares often occur if children experience something big in their life like going to a new school, shifting to a new house or when something is happening in the family.
If the nightmares are occasional they end soon and are harmless. But if the nightmares are recurring it could lead to psychopathological symptoms in kids and personal distress. The symptoms could be a difficulty with temperament and behavioral and emotional issues and an increase in anxiety levels.
Moreover, nightmares could also lead to some other factors such as economic status, sleeping problems, severe changes in lives, and the environment of the home.
How to Deal with Nightmares in Children?
If the nightmares are caused by external events, with time they are likely to diminish as the child matures. You can reduce the nightmares by following these simple steps if your doctor has confirmed that your child does not have any neurological or other psychological problem.
- Make sure your kid is taking the sleeping hours he/she required and the consistent bedtime schedule is maintained.
- Reduce the frequency of nightmares by upholding sleep hygiene. Such as bath before bed, dinner at least two to three hours before, and take them to the bathroom before bed.
- Work with your child to overcome the problem and fears, let them write their fears, and throw them into the dustbin. Share the fears with your kid and ways you adopt to overcome them.
- Reduce the daytime naps, it should not be more than an hour. When they sleep less in the daytime they will have more sleeping hours in the night.
- Keep the sleeping environment cozy and pleasant for your child eliminate the noises and keep the room dark with a dim light just. By doing so he/she would have more protective feelings and relaxed night sleep.