Food and Night Terrors

Hi A.,

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Best of luck to you! :)

A.-
I can't say that food relates to the night terrors, but I know what it is like. My youngest was born with no thyroid and when her meds are not balanced she has night terrors. Just remember that night terrors is like sleep walking. They do not fully wake up and you can't wake them casue it could really scare them more. All we did was just pat her on the back and kept repeating that mommy was here and she is ok and that I would protect her. Sometimes the terrors can come from something going on in their lives, like if they started something new that makes them very nervous or if you have just had a big move. But maybe giving him sugar before bed could contribute to them a lot. I know that children react to sugar different than we do. Try only giving fruit or something healthy and see if things change. Sorry to hear that he is going through that. I know it is very hard when you can't fix it for them.
S. C

Sugar before bed can cause waking. Try just giving him a small cup of milk if he wants something before bed. Eating before bed can cause bad habits.

Good Luck.

Hey, I just came here from Indiana three years ago. When I taught first grade, I had many children with night terrors. I always talked to their mothers and they agreed to read Bible stories to them and let them put their Bible under the pillow. When they got scared, they put their hands under the pillow and knew that Jesus was watching over them. All ages of kids respond to this. The mothers were amazed when it worked.
Yes, food can cause interruptions in sleep. Watch and record reactions to food, especially with dyes-like gumy worms.

I personally adamantly think food has a lot to do with night terrors. There of course could be other causes. And some argue that it is the sugar and not the dye...and I don't buy it for a minute. This being that there are plenty of sugar free gums that have dye...and my daughter turns into a crazy scared little fighter in her sleep as a result. Also I notice when she does not have dye...she sleeps a whole lot better. I also question additives and preservatives...things like MSG, aspartame, as I have seen her react to foods with no food dye with these components as well.
To be on the safe side I would stick to a low sugar, no dye or preservative snack. Say a few crackers, or even some left overs, a bowl of oateos. I typically have crackers, peanut or sunflower butter, or goat cheese and crackers..my kids are a bit older, so baby carrots, celery, and raw green beans are some things that I just have around for them as well as fresh fruit. I also try to make sure they finish dinner without leaving hungry... only other thing I can think of, if this does not work, is if there has been an emotional change in your child's life.

Good luck and may sleep find you :)

I would recommend not giving sugary snacks before bed. Try apples with peanut butter perhaps or cheese, nuts and dried fruit or applesauce. Maybe try giving it to him a half hour to an hour before bedtime. Make sure your child is relaxed and calm before going to bed. Reading helps. If you don't sleep with him already maybe try that as well.

My sister suffered with night terrors for years until she figured out the food thing.

She never has sugar three or four hours before bed, and watches liquid intake too...needing to pee can cause the body to try to wake up.

Good luck!

I've got a 19 mo old son who also gets a snack before bedtime, but I don't do sugar. I know even in me, if I eat something right before bed I get crazy dreams. Some ideas for bedtime, Costco sells an organic animal cracker that my son loves but are still healthy, we also do wheat rolls or a slice of wheat bread.
Good luck!

I don't have proof, but I am a firm believer that sugar contributes to nightmares/terrors. My son has been having nightmares or terrors for a month now and it has been since Grnadma has introduced all kinds of sugar-gummyworms and chocolate kisses. I try not to give him sugar close to bed time but we haven't cured it totally yet. Tyring to get a 3year old to eat anything besides junk is tough! We're struggling with this "phase" also and hope the end is in sight! Good luck!

Several factors could be involved, but in general, yes, foods do affect sleep. It's been shown that a body that is out of ph balance, being more acidic, will not promote restful sleep or pleasant dreams. You could try the old warm milk trick before bed and watch the intake of processed foods which create a more acidic environment.

Does he wake up at the same time each night or after the same length of sleep if bedtime is later or earlier? My son went through HORRIBLE night terrors. No matter what time he went to bed, he woke up about 1 1/2 hours after falling asleep. I finally consulted a doctor, and he said it was the text book definition of night terrors. He recommended (and at first I thought it sounded crazy) that we fully wake him 15 minutes before he would normally wake with the night terrors. At first I was apprehensive, because I thought, "Why would I wake him? Maybe he'll sleep through tonight." After a few more weeks of suffering, I decided to give it a try. After waking him every night 15 minutes earlier than he would possibly start his night terror for one whole week, his night terrors vanished completely!!! That was last August. As for the food, my sister's pediatrician told her that there is a link between milk and night terrors. I suppose if milk could cause it then other foods could as well. I hope this helps. If you truly think it's night terrors, I'd try waking him before they start. Good luck!

Our first child is due in June, so I don't know how this affects kids, but I know if I eat something sweet before bed, I have nightmares too! I've found if I have a sweet bedtime snack, it needs to be a couple hours before I go to bed... otherwise, my sleep is disturbed with weird dreams.

Hi A.,
The correlation seems like it could be something. I would bet that the gummy worm has high fructose corn syrup in it. I don't have any experience with night terrors yet, but I recommend checking out the "food lab" yahoo group. It is a great group with a lot of mamas experienced in dealing with food-related reactions in their children. I think they would be able to answer your question.
Good luck!

Hi, Take a look at food dyes and preservatives they affect my son the same way. If your son is old enough try a spoon full of peanut butter, this works for us, I'd also let the babies doctor know he/she may be helpful Good Luck
P.

Hi,

The artificial colors in gummi worms (especially red) could likely be the problem. I would stay away from candy as a bed time snack. Disturbed sleep can often come from low blood sugar. A snack that contains protien would serve him well. Something like banana with peanut butter, cheese, or warm milk would be good. It will keep his blood sugar stable and his sleep constant. Hope this helps!

B.

Hi A..
I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but today's Albuquerque Journal has a article written about a new book, "Sleep Deep..." by Karen Williamson in which she writes about correlations between diet and sleep.

One of her tips: no cheese in the afternoons or evenings because it increases and amino acid called tyramine, which releases adrenaline and causes nightmares and vivid dreams. The article goes on to recommend higher-carb (and moderate to lower-protein) dinners for overall better sleep.

This does not connect with gummy worms (Mmm, cheesy-worms!), but it does show a connection beween diet and sleep, at least in adults.
T

Additives in foods and sugar can cause a lot of problems for people, if one is sensitive to them. The food coloring in the worms could be the culprit, or the sugar, or any number of other things. Doris Rapp is an MD who has written a number of books on this topic. I suggest you read one. I cant remember the name of any, but if you search for her books, I am sure you will find them. And kudos to you for being so observant! Keep watching!

Hello A.,

I would recommend no sugar after 6:00 pm. That is what we did with our daughter. Sunday - Thursday no soda at all but she could have some on Fridays and Saturdays. Then she couldn't have anything with sugar in it after 6:00 pm and we did this routine all the way through High School. We figured she needed her sleep at night and kept caffeine and sugar away from her on certain days and times. I hope this helps.

D.

I had night terrors as a child. I never noticed any relation between food and my dreams. If I got hot, I would have terrible nightmares. So, maybe see if he's getting hot when he sleeps.

My son had night terrors from the time he was about 2 and has had one recently and he is now 19 yrs old. We never noticed a correlation between diet. We did notice that they seemed to happen shortly after going to sleep and then his sleep was disturbed somehow by noise or something. It is hard to watch your child go through them, but they don't remember anything and it doesn't harm them.

I always understood that night terrors were developmental, but your child is far too young. I do a lot of research with nutrition, and I definately think you're onto something. I'm assuming that the gummy worm has high fructose corn syrup as well as other sugars. HFCS isn't fit for human consumption, and with such a small child I would think it may be harder to digest. Keep up the good detective work!

We've always done a little warm milk or sleepytime tea here...

my son also experienced night terrors.....i'm not sure if there is a food connection or not.....it probably would be a good idea to give only none sugar bedtime snacks. when my son had his first night terror, i freaked out.....i thought that there was something major wrong.....it took a long time to get him settled down that first time. when the terror happened again, i stayed calm, took him back to bed (he walked around the house during these episodes), rubbed his back, told him it was ok and to just relax.....this seemed to work, so i used this routine whenever the terrors happened. the thing to remember is that the child is not awake and aware of what is happening....just staying calm and soothing and acting as though nothing major is going on worked for us. my son did outgrow the terrors....he's now 21 and sleeps like a log....lol!!!!!

It could be related to food colorings, sugars, etc. Maybe offer a snack of fruit or natural foods like trail mix, yogurt, etc. Or, if that doesn't work, eliminate the snack altogether and opt for a glass of milk?

Best,
C.

A.:

Growing up I was always told that if you eat certain foods before you go to bed, it could cause you to have bad dreams. I dont really see how one gummy worm would do that. I always assumed spicy or heavy foods would do that but with kids, who knows. I have a six year old and I am learning something new every day. You may want to check with your ped and see. Good Luck!

A.,

I think I have heard something like that but it is not good for anyone to eat before they go to bed especial your toddler and giving him candy before he goes to bed is not good. Your giving him sugar and I think that is what is giving him the nightmares. I have a 3 year old daughter and she has dinner and her glass of milk but nothing after dinner because we eat a little later than normal and she sleeps through the night just fine. I hope this helps. Good luck
steph

Hi, I spoke to my doctors above night terrors. The reason they are having them is because they need to take naps during the day. If this happens again, the doctors says not to talk to them, just sing softly to them because they don't know you are there. They are still asleep. This will happen for a couple of weeks till there body gets use to taking naps.

I know that this has nothing to do with food, but my daughter has night terrors according to her nap schedule. Every time she doesn't get a nap, it is guaranteed that she will wake up with a night terror. Just another thing to consider with your little one.

each body is different and it reacts differently to things. if you notice a corrolation between gummy worm and night terror there is very possibly a link! stop giving them to him and see if it improves, that's the only way to tell for sure.

my son has night terrors...the only correlation I notice is lack of daytime sleep. If his naps are too short or he misses one (or both) then he will most likely have a night terror that evening. That being said, perhaps the dyes or sugars in the candy are somehow interfering with his bodies ability to get adequate rest? Is he allergic to red dye? That is pretty popular among kids. I don't think I would make a direct connections, but there may be something in the food that affects him rather than food causing the terrors, see what I mean? It ALWAYS helpful to consult your pediatrician...they can pick up on things we may not be able to.
Good luck..night terrors are terrifying for the parents (apparently the kids have no memory for them!)

My son has Autism and during the last few months we have noticed with the change of diets and food/drinks he has better nights of sleep. The doctor told me today that night terrors can be more noticible if the child has sugar in there system. This is because sugar effects the sugar in the blood and it will make his brain activity more active which has been noticed with night terriors. You may want to stop sugar foods before bed for these reasons and see if it helps. Good luck