{"h1":"What causes nightmares and night terrors in young children?","faq":[{"a":"A nightmare is a scary dream in the second half of the night that your child wakes from and can usually remember. A night terror happens in the first few hours of deep sleep — your child seems terrified, may scream or thrash, but isn't truly awake and remembers nothing the next morning.","q":"What is the difference between a nightmare and a night terror?"},{"a":"Night terrors are most common between about 2 and 7 years, when the brain is still learning to move smoothly between sleep stages. They almost always settle on their own as a child grows.","q":"At what age are night terrors most common?"},{"a":"No. Trying to wake or restrain your child can prolong the episode and distress them. Stay calm, gently keep them safe, and let it pass — it usually lasts only a few minutes.","q":"Should I wake my child during a night terror?"},{"a":"Seek a professional check if episodes happen most nights, cause daytime exhaustion, involve breathing pauses or sudden jerking, or appear alongside worries about speech, behaviour or emotional regulation.","q":"When should I be concerned about my child's sleep?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-young-children","title":"What causes nightmares and night terrors in young children?","entity":{"key":"night-terrors","kind":"phenomenon","name":"Nightmares And Night Terrors","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Emotional","value":"emotional"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Influence","value":"influence"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Behaviour-Therapy","value":"behaviour-therapy"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"is-nightmares-and-night-terrors-a-normal-part-of-child-development","title":"Is Nightmares and Night Terrors a Normal Part of Child Development?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-makes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-worse-in-a-child","title":"What makes nightmares and night terrors worse in a child?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-2-year-old","title":"What causes nightmares and night terrors in a 2-year-old?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-help-a-young-child-with-nightmares-and-night-terrors","title":"How to Help a Child with Nightmares and Night Terrors"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-i-worry-about-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-my-child","title":"When should I worry about nightmares and night terrors in my child?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-other-behaviours-often-occur-with-nightmares-and-night-terrors","title":"What other behaviours often occur with Nightmares And Night Terrors?"}],"summary":"Nightmares are scary dreams a child wakes from and remembers, often driven by overtiredness, anxiety or upsetting experiences. Night terrors are partial awakenings from deep sleep — the child seems terrified but isn't awake and won't remember. Both are common from 2–7 years, usually harmless, and settle with age.","answer_md":"*Your child sits up screaming, eyes wide, yet won't wake — and by morning remembers nothing. It's frightening to watch, and it's also one of the most normal parts of early childhood sleep.*\n\n## In short\nNightmares and night terrors are different things with different causes. **Nightmares** are scary dreams in the second half of the night that a child wakes from and remembers — often linked to overtiredness, anxiety, a vivid imagination or a recent upsetting experience. **Night terrors** are not dreams at all: they happen in the first few hours of deep sleep, the child appears terrified but is not truly awake, and remembers nothing the next day. Both are common between **2 and 7 years**, usually harmless, and almost always settle with age.\n\n## Why they happen\n**Night terrors** arise from a partial awakening out of deep (non-REM) sleep — the body's alarm switches on while the mind stays asleep. Common triggers include:\n- Being overtired or having an irregular bedtime\n- Illness, fever or being unwell\n- A full bladder or disrupted sleep routine\n- A family history of terrors or sleepwalking\n\n**Nightmares** occur in REM sleep, when dreaming is most active, and are more often linked to:\n- Big feelings — anxiety, stress, a change at home or starting nursery\n- Frightening stories, screens or images before bed\n- Overtiredness, which intensifies dreaming\n\nIn both cases the developing brain is simply still learning to move smoothly between sleep stages — it is a sign of growth, not damage.\n\n## When to seek a developmental check\nMost settle on their own. Speak to a professional if episodes happen most nights, lead to daytime exhaustion, involve breathing pauses or sudden jerking, or come alongside worries about your child's speech, behaviour or emotional regulation. Persistent disturbed sleep can both reflect and affect development, so it's worth a gentle look.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nDevelopmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional., under qualified clinician care — never from an app or a checklist at home. If sleep worries sit alongside questions about how your child is developing, a [structured developmental screen](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) gives you a clear starting point, and our [emotional and behavioural support](/behaviour-therapy) team can help you build calm bedtime routines. Begin wherever you are — [start here](/).\n\n## Trusted sources\nAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org) guidance on childhood sleep and parasomnias; CDC child development and sleep resources; WHO Nurturing Care Framework on early childhood wellbeing.\n\n**Next step —** If disturbed sleep is worrying you or sits alongside other developmental questions, [book a developmental screen with a Pinnacle clinician](/).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-causes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-young-children","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-causes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-young-children","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"}],"meta_title":"Nightmares & Night Terrors in Children: Causes","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"During a night terror, don't try to wake or restrain your child — stay calm, keep them safe, and let it pass. A steady, screen-free, early bedtime is the single best prevention for both terrors and nightmares.","published_at":"2026-06-10T12:04:00.224892+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"signs","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-i-worry-about-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-my-child","title":"When should I worry about nightmares and night terrors in my child?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-i-worry-about-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-2-year-old","title":"Should I Worry About Nightmares and Night Terrors at Age 2?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-i-worry-about-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-3-year-old","title":"Should I Worry About Nightmares and Night Terrors in a 3-Year-Old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-i-worry-about-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-4-year-old","title":"Should I worry about nightmares and night terrors in a 4-year-old?","reason":"Same 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influences","total":5},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"is-nightmares-and-night-terrors-a-normal-part-of-child-development","title":"Is Nightmares and Night Terrors a Normal Part of Child Development?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-makes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-worse-in-a-child","title":"What makes nightmares and night terrors worse in a child?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-other-behaviours-often-occur-with-nightmares-and-night-terrors","title":"What other behaviours often occur with Nightmares And Night Terrors?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-nightmares-and-night-terrors-be-a-sign-of-autism","title":"Can Nightmares And Night Terrors Be a Sign of Autism?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"do-children-usually-outgrow-nightmares-and-night-terrors","title":"Do children usually outgrow nightmares and night terrors?","reason":"Same 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in a 2-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-3-year-old","title":"How do I handle nightmares and night terrors in a 3-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-4-year-old","title":"How do I handle nightmares and night terrors in a 4-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-5-year-old","title":"How do I handle nightmares and night terrors in a 5-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-6-year-old","title":"How do I handle nightmares and night terrors in a 6-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-caregiver-manage-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-a-2-year-old-during-the-day","title":"How to Manage a 2-Year-Old's Nightmares and Night Terrors","reason":"Same 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sleep and nightmares"},{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov","label":"CDC — child development and sleep"},{"url":"https://nurturing-care.org","label":"WHO Nurturing Care Framework — early childhood wellbeing"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T12:04:00.224892+00:00","meta_description":"Why young children have nightmares and night terrors — the real causes, how they differ, and when disturbed sleep is worth a developmental check.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}