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Twice in the last week, our 3 year old daughter has gotten out of her bed in the middle of the night while having a nightmare. I can't say for sure if she's asleep when she gets out of her bed. Last night, about 1 am, I heard her crying and went to her room and saw her on the floor, opening and closing her bedroom door. She totally freaked when she saw me, I'm sure she was really frightened--again, I don't know if she was awake at this stage or not. My wife came in and she calmed down and went right back to sleep. She said that someone was "trying to get her", which was why she was crying.
She did somethng similar the other day, but closer to her usual wake up time.
I know nightmares are not necessarily unusual, but it's the getting out of bed part that has me really scared. She could have easily fallen down the stairs or who knows what else. Anyone else have similar experiences with their little ones? Is it just a fluke thing or the fact that it has happened twice in one week indicative of something that is going to continue? Thanks in advance.
Definitely read that entire article I linked above. It discusses how events or stress can trigger sleep walking. Below is a snippet:
Quote:
Typically, episodes of sleepwalking will dissipate on their own. However, children who do not "grow" out of sleepwalking episodes, or who have episodes nightly or more then once a night, may need to have a medical evaluation completed. In addition, a child who sleepwalks and has never done so should be evaluated as well, Sheldon says.
"If there is something unusual or atypical about the spells then the child really needs to be evaluated and intervention needs to be sought," says Sheldon. "A child who exhibits a sudden onset of sleepwalking needs an assessment for something that may have precipitated the event. There may be some kind of anxiety or stress at school or something at home that was totally unrecognized that is now causing events of sleepwalking."
Sleepwalking is not a normal childhood event, but it should not be viewed as abnormal either. Occasional spells of sleepwalking are really no cause for concern, but knowing what to do and when to do it are priority. Parental education is the key, Sheldon says.
"If a parent does all they can to protect the child from danger or injury when sleepwalking, try to identify the stressors that may be causing or worsening the spells and get intervention if and when needed, then everyone can get a good night's sleep," he says.
IMO if she "saw" you then she wasn't sleep walking. I would try and get her used to being comforted by a favorite pillow or stuffed animal. So long as they think they are safe with their super hero sponge bob then they will be ok.
I think the fact that she "totally freaked out" indicates that she was sleep walking and her father did accidently wake her.
It's more likely that he startled her.
My daughter startles easily. Her friends at school even tease her about it. If I walked up to her bed in the night when she was lulling herself to sleep or just laying there, she would jump right out of her skin.
I sleep walk and 2 of my kids have also. I have always guided them back to bed and they have never freaked out by my talking to them, they even talk back sometimes. You can tell that they are not awake because they are not coherent and the things they are trying to do are really off the wall.
Until my kids were 4 I kept them gated in their rooms, because we have stairs also and I was afraid that they would get up in the night and accidentally fall down the stairs whether they were sleep walking or just waking up to come find me or whatever. So I definitely suggest to put a gate or something up so she cannot get out.
I don't think I would be too worried about it happening twice but if it continues to happen I would mention it to the pediatrician.
I think the fact that she "totally freaked out" indicates that she was sleep walking and her father did accidently wake her.
I should clarify she was quite upset before she saw me, and my presence didn't calm her...It wasn't like she was calm and then freaked out when I got there. She was upset then got very upset when I came in.
My guess, and it's just that, a guess, is she got out of bed when she was asleep, then woke up and started crying, then when I came in she got more upset, for whatever reason. But I could be wrong.
Thanks for all the tips and the article was very helpful.
I think it is a myth not to wake someone up while sleepwalking. A friend of mine is a terrible sleepwalker and his wife wakes him up often when he is doing something crazy.
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then they will be ok.
