Question
My baby is two months old and often wakes up crying at night without any apparent reason. She doesn’t want to change diapers or eat, and sometimes she gets better on her own. However, when she sleeps on her stomach and turns over, she easily wakes up. She is restless and prone to being startled. What methods can help improve this situation?
Answer
Night terrors refer to a condition where children are unable to maintain a full night of deep sleep, often waking up suddenly and crying during the night, sometimes even playing around. For children experiencing night terrors, it is crucial to rule out other diseases that can cause sleep disturbances, night crying, and difficulty falling asleep, such as abdominal pain or upper respiratory infections. Sleep disturbances caused by these diseases usually last only a few days, rarely extending for several days, and are accompanied by significant physical discomfort. The main comprehensive preventive and treatment measures for children with night terrors include supportive psychotherapy, establishing a stable parenting style, behavioral therapy, and, if necessary, medication under medical guidance. Parents should actively seek psychological counseling, understand and guide their children, and keep records of the treatment process and outcomes. They should also review and adjust the treatment plan regularly until the problem is resolved. In most cases, children with night terrors do not require medication; it is only in extremely severe cases that medication may be prescribed under a doctor’s guidance.