# What causes nightmares and night terrors in young children?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-causes-nightmares-and-night-terrors-in-young-children
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

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.

*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.*

## In short
Nightmares 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.

## Why they happen
**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:
- Being overtired or having an irregular bedtime
- Illness, fever or being unwell
- A full bladder or disrupted sleep routine
- A family history of terrors or sleepwalking

**Nightmares** occur in REM sleep, when dreaming is most active, and are more often linked to:
- Big feelings — anxiety, stress, a change at home or starting nursery
- Frightening stories, screens or images before bed
- Overtiredness, which intensifies dreaming

In both cases the developing brain is simply still learning to move smoothly between sleep stages — it is a sign of growth, not damage.

## When to seek a developmental check
Most 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.

## The Pinnacle way
Developmental 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](/).

## Trusted sources
American 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.

**Next step —** If disturbed sleep is worrying you or sits alongside other developmental questions, [book a developmental screen with a Pinnacle clinician](/).

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- AAP HealthyChildren — childhood sleep and nightmares: https://healthychildren.org
- CDC — child development and sleep: https://www.cdc.gov
- WHO Nurturing Care Framework — early childhood wellbeing: https://nurturing-care.org

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Behaviours: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/behaviours
- Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Emotional: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/emotional
- Influence: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/influence
- Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/screen
- Behaviour Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/behaviour-therapy
- Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity

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