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Night terrors

puffin

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed or been told of a link between Aspergers and Night Terrors.  My son is six and has had them on and off for the last three years.  Worse when he is overtired or stressed.  Not too frequent at the moment maybe two or three times a month, but scary and upsetting to the parent all the same, my son remembers nothing the next day, this is usual so i have read.

For anyone who is not sure what a night terror is you wake one or two hours after falling asleep, sweating, eyes wide open but not seeing anyone, screaming, terrified but inconsolable (not aware of anyone around them), so you cannot comfort them if you try it makes the Terror worse.  lasts anywhere from Five minutes to an hour so i am told but thankfully my sons have  never been for longer than twenty minutes at most.  I know there can be a sleep apnea connection (he gets hayfever and breathing can be difficult at night when he is blocked). I would love to hear any ideas on reducing the episodes.

Thankyou for any advice or info you can give.

Puffin 

Parents

  • My now 11 year old son (diagnosed with autism 18 months ago) had severe night terrors from around 14 months old. When i say severe i mean i was convinced he was in actual pain, we had to take him to the largest room, the living room, cushion every wall, fireplace, object. Ive never seen anything like it before and neber wish to again. He would thrash that hard screaming, and recoiling it was so upsetting to me. He would just look right through us, we couldnt help. The longest, lasted 1 and a half hrs!!!! Id never seen night terrors before or knew what they were. They lessened over the yrs, but id hear that piercing scream and just run for him, it couls wake the dwad that scream. I had a chronic sleepwalking brother from 4 or 5 yrs old, bolts had to be put at the top of the doors to outside because he could let himself out. It can be inherited ive been told, particularly in males, sleepwalking, talking, terrors. But nothing prepared me for night terrors, its heartbreaking to watch. I have a 3 yr old son now too, and he has them, not as frequently as my older son did or anywhere near as severe or long, but they are ramping up (i found with my eldest son they came in waves, none for a wk or two, then boom, and we knew it was a 2 to 7 nights before anyone slept again) little one has just had one, is it the male line? But there are noticeable signs of ASD or ADHD in little man too. do agree tiredness, stress and being unwell play a huge part, i could see patterns in that with the eldest son, but from everythingive read and the drs we see, both them and I are yet to come across the extreme violent body thrashing or length of time he'd go for. i have 4 kids, only 2 (the boys) go through this, whatever causes it or if they are linked to certain conditions i hope someone finds a way to at least ease and reduce them. They never remember the next day, but it does affect them in other ways and its soul destroying to watch and affects the whole household 

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  • My now 11 year old son (diagnosed with autism 18 months ago) had severe night terrors from around 14 months old. When i say severe i mean i was convinced he was in actual pain, we had to take him to the largest room, the living room, cushion every wall, fireplace, object. Ive never seen anything like it before and neber wish to again. He would thrash that hard screaming, and recoiling it was so upsetting to me. He would just look right through us, we couldnt help. The longest, lasted 1 and a half hrs!!!! Id never seen night terrors before or knew what they were. They lessened over the yrs, but id hear that piercing scream and just run for him, it couls wake the dwad that scream. I had a chronic sleepwalking brother from 4 or 5 yrs old, bolts had to be put at the top of the doors to outside because he could let himself out. It can be inherited ive been told, particularly in males, sleepwalking, talking, terrors. But nothing prepared me for night terrors, its heartbreaking to watch. I have a 3 yr old son now too, and he has them, not as frequently as my older son did or anywhere near as severe or long, but they are ramping up (i found with my eldest son they came in waves, none for a wk or two, then boom, and we knew it was a 2 to 7 nights before anyone slept again) little one has just had one, is it the male line? But there are noticeable signs of ASD or ADHD in little man too. do agree tiredness, stress and being unwell play a huge part, i could see patterns in that with the eldest son, but from everythingive read and the drs we see, both them and I are yet to come across the extreme violent body thrashing or length of time he'd go for. i have 4 kids, only 2 (the boys) go through this, whatever causes it or if they are linked to certain conditions i hope someone finds a way to at least ease and reduce them. They never remember the next day, but it does affect them in other ways and its soul destroying to watch and affects the whole household 

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