Sleep Paralysis in Children in 8 Questions (Nightmare)

1. What is sleep paralysis (nightmare)?

Sleep paralysis, which occurs during the transition to sleep or while waking up, is the condition of the body being unable to move temporarily.

A person who experiences this cannot move his arms and legs as if they were paralyzed. This temporary paralysis occurs during REM sleep. Hallucinations may occur between sleep and wakefulness.

It is worth mentioning that sleep paralysis is the scientific explanation of nightmare. There is no metaphysical event such as a nightmare coming to the child out of the blue.

2. When does sleep paralysis in children begin?

Sleep paralysis can start at the age of 4 in children. It can be experienced and ended 1-2 times, or in some cases, it can become constantly repetitive.

If you have a family history of sleep disorders such as sleepwalking or night terrors, your little one is more likely to have sleep paralysis.

What is it, why it happens, what you can do: Night Terrors and Nightmares in Children

3. How does sleep paralysis occur?

The fact that muscles are in a state of temporary paralysis during sleep is actually a protective feature for us.

In order not to make these movements during sleep, our muscles go into temporary paralysis.

While our brain should continue to sleep, it wakes up suddenly and we experience sleep paralysis. The whole experience actually takes place in the mind.

The symptoms of sleep paralysis are as follows:

The child wakes up, sees his surroundings, can blink and move his eyes but cannot move his head. He hears the sounds and spoken around him but cannot speak. He continues to breathe normally, but cannot breathe deeply or move his body. Due to fear, sweating occurs and heartbeat accelerates. Because the acceleration of the heartbeat increases the need for deep breathing, but this is not possible, he experiences a feeling of suffocation. Sleep paralysis usually lasts 15-60 seconds and in some cases a few minutes. It can be seen that it lasts 4-5 hours very exceptionally.

4. What causes sleep paralysis?

The exact cause of sleep paralysis not explained as. However, some situations can be triggers. These are:

Family history of sleep disturbances, sleeping on your back, irregularity in sleep hours, extreme stress, some drug treatments, hunger before sleep.How common is sleep paralysis?

Although it can recur every few nights, it can be experienced every night, although rarely. It can happen several times a day.

If your child experiences this situation frequently, you should definitely talk to an expert so that the effect is not great.

6. How to prevent sleep paralysis: The most important thing is to stay calm and try to comfort your child. Chat with him a lot and listen carefully. Find solutions to resolve the fears and problems shared with you. It is very important that you understand the situation that causes stress and tension. Avoid any behavior, game, movie, or tale that might distract or demoralize the little lamb before going to sleep.

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Eating or going to bed shortly before sleep affects sleep quality.

You should pay attention to the light of the environment where your child is sleeping. Sleeping with a lamp that gives off too much light reduces the quality and depth of sleep. This leads to problems such as sleep disturbance, sleep paralysis, and night terrors.

You can also take a look at our advice here: How to Be Baby Room Lighting in 9 Steps?

If he’s having sleep paralysis just before waking up, try waking him up 15 minutes earlier. This way, you can get through that scary phase and make your little one fall asleep again.

She may not want to sleep alone in the little one’s room because of what she’s been through. Whatever happens, don’t neglect to listen to him: A Guide to Understanding Children Who Don’t Want to Sleep in Their Own Bed

7. How to treat sleep paralysis?

If your little one has an increased frequency of nightmares despite the precautions you take, be sure to get support from your doctor or a sleep specialist. The most important reasons underlying sleep paralysis are blood circulation disorders and psychological tension.

Therefore, the expert should determine whether there is any problem in the physical, spiritual and emotional world of the child.

No, sleep paralysis doesn’t. However, being exposed to this situation frequently and not being able to sleep well can be psychologically damaging.

The safety of your little one is important. In such frightening moments, you never know where the accident will come from: The 8 Most Wanted Bed Barriers on the Internet by Brands.