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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffFor children, night terrors tend to decrease by the time they're adolescents. However, if you have concerns about safety or underlying conditions for you or your child, you may want to consult your or your child's doctor, who may refer you to a sleep specialist.
Your doctor also will need to know:
- When the night terrors began
- How often the night terrors occur
- Your medical history
- Any medications you're taking or have taken
- Whether you have or have had any other sleep problems
- Whether you have family members with sleep problems
It's a good idea to keep a sleep diary for two weeks before your appointment to help your doctor understand your sleeping pattern. In the morning, you record as much as you know of your bedtime ritual, quality of sleep, and so on. At the end of the day, you record behaviors that may affect your sleep, such as caffeine consumption (chocolate and cola count) and any medications taken. The same applies to your child.
Write down any questions that occur to you before your appointment to ensure you get the answers you seek while with your doctor.
- Parasomnias. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec16/ch215/ch215f.html. Accessed June 3, 2009.
- Nguyen BH, et al. Sleep terrors in children: A prospective study of twins. Pediatrics. 2008;122:e1164.
- Sleep terrors. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=13. Accessed June 8, 2009.
- National sleep disorders research plan. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/res_plan/section5/section5a.html. Accessed May 27, 2009.
- Stores G. Dramatic parasomnias. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2001;94:173.
- Sleepiness diary. National Sleep Foundation. Accessed June 8, 2009.
