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Article: A scream in the night.
- Article from:
- Pediatrics for Parents
- Article date:
- October 1, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A SCREAM IN THE NIGHT
It was 11 p.m. The screaming was coming from my 5-year old daughter's room. I knew, as I went to her room, that she was sound asleep. No amount of talking to or shaking would wake her up or calm her down. She would not be comforted or consoled. All I could do was ensure that she could not hurt herself. She would calm down in 15 minutes or so. Kara was having another night terror.
Night terrors occur, in some degree, in 15% of children. They are one of the most frightening of sleep disorders, but only to the parents. Night terrors (pavor nocturnus) are a partial arousal from a very deep (Stage 3-4) non-dreaming sleep. Parents and doctors ...