Strange Behavior After Falling Asleep.

My son went through similar sleep walking, but it was not consistent. However, we are not a "consistent" family. We didn't have truly set routines at that time of his life. We kept a close eye on him but sometimes my husband would have to physically keep him from walking outside at night or out to the garage. Sometimes he'd get in the shower with him to wake him up. He would sometimes recall and sometimes not. He seems to have grown out of it now, he's 16, the last episode was at age 11. He actually walked across the street to my sister's house at 1am. He also used to get really bad headaches. He had a sleep test done (he had sleep apnea), he had an MRI done, he had his tonsils out (it seems to have helped the sleep apnea--but not completely). I feel like I'm rambling on about this, but my point is that maybe a lot more people than we know have sleep "disorders" and they may just have to learn to deal with them or grow out of them. But I'd do all of the tests you can to rule out things you can control.

I'm not sure why you know what it's NOT. Although it does sound a little different from my son's night terrors, there are some things that ring a bell for me. the consistency of it, how it happens at certain times after falling asleep... I think it could absolutely fall under the heading of Night Terrors, in that he has vivid, physical reactions to something in his early dream state. He may seem awake and coherent to you, but still be slightly under. Does he remember the next day?

One thing to try, that works with night terrors, is to wake him gently and slightly before he hits his typical time, in order to "restart" his sleep cycle. My son always hits it about an hour and 15 minutes after falling asleep, so a gentle wake at 60 minutes can be enough to get him out of that cycle and fall peacefully asleep.

I also think that you may need to look at the nap at daycare and his current bedtime. (perhaps the nap needs to be extinguished, and an earlier bedtime adopted.) In my experience the night terrors happen worst when my son is overtired, but also when he goes through intense times of learning or experience. As your son grows, perhaps the down time or nap at daycare needs to be altered, or his bedtime needs to change to make sure that he is not OVERtired when his head hits the pillow. So much goes on at that age (it's where my daughter is too, it's intense) that although it may seem like they are chugging along fine, they may need more rest and catch-up time to deal with it all.

If you want to get an earlier appt, you can apply more pressure on the doctor. One thing that has worked for me is to send a fax. Write a short note saying describing the symptoms and stating that you are concerned for your child's safety and that you request an urgent appointment. There's something about documenting a concern in writing that gets people's attention.

is he sleep walking. i did this as a small child and would come down and hold conversation with my mother, this whent on for weeks untill she discovered i thought i was talking to my grandmother. people can seem wide awake and aware but be sound asleep. hope things are ok for you. x

I didnt read all the answers other moms have posted but short and sweet go to his regular doctor make an appointment if u feel unsatisfied with their answer ask him recommend a sleep therapist or doctor have him evaluated. Your sons not crazy he is just most likely acting out at night what he going through in life maybe and most likely at school also if he has a daycare ask what is going on there insist on answers from the doctors though thats what they get paid so much money for. ask about a noon drug way of treating it if they try to offer him drugs.

I agree with other lady that it could be Night Terrors. I'm not sure why you think it's not. My son has those and I've read a lot about them. There is such a wide range involving lots of sleep disorders. Sleep walking is another variation too. And just because he is a good sleeper and has a consistant bedtime doesn't mean it can't be night terrors. In a night terror your child will APPEAR to be awake but is NOT. They can be talking to you with eyes open and even walking around, but they are NOT truly awake - they are in the "night terror". It is a sleep disorder. They may seem confused or disoriented. I agree with the other lady who responded too, that it usually is worse when the child is overtired. The first time my son had one, he woke up screaming like he was being attacked. Nothing I could do would calm him down and he kept asking me for his mommy - even though I was right there! It was very scary! Anyway, I would just talk to your doctor about it and see what he says. (assuming you have a good pediatrician!) lol This is something they will usually grow out of. My son has gotten lots better.

Hello Niki,
Having raised several children I can only wish you luck and hope that you find the right medical care to give you and the child the answers you need. I am sorry he has had such trouble.
Nana Glenda

What your son needs is a sleep study, plain and simple. When you go to the doctor ask for a referral. He will probably refer you to a Sleep center where your son will have to stay overnight. They'll put a whole bunch of wires on him as well as an ongoing camera to monitor his brain waves and physical activity while he's sleeping. It could be night terrors or seizures or something else all together. They may change his diet or prescribe a medication. God bless!

I talk and sing in my sleep. My husband has had several conversations with me that I know nothing about in the morning. A few weeks ago apparently I pointed to the window and told him "The seals are coming - they're following the wire". Usually when we sleep, a temporary paralysis keeps us from moving while our minds dream our dreams. In some people the process doesn't quite work and the result is sleep walking and/or talking. Most kids outgrow it but a few of us keep it up after we're adults. It would be interesting to hear what your doctor says about it.

That is similar of what happens to me before I go into a complete siezure. I don't remember any of it though. So long as they are not lasting more than a couple of minutes I wouldn't worry about getting him in early. If you can remember to, the next time he has one time it, the doctor will want to know how long they are. If they start meds for him don't be surprized if he seems sedated for the first couple of weeks. Stress and lack of sleep are two major factors with having seizures. There are also ones caused by chemical imbalances and ones triggered by a electrical reaction. Chemical ones don't always show on the tests. Good luck.
W. M.

unfortunately i do not have an answer for this, the only thing that I can tell you is that taking him to e.r. will do no good. The e.r physician's will see that there "is nothing wrong with him" because they are not witnesing the episode. They may just give you some thing to help him sleep...if that... dont waste your time with that, if anything, have you tried taking him to an urgent care?

If you don't want to wait 2 weeks, then try an after hours pediatric clinic. They are usually open from 5:00 to 11:00pm daily & on weekends too. In fact the ones here in Orlando are called After Hours Pediatrics.

My tummy would feel funny too if this were happening to me. Poor little fella. Sounds like something hereditary if all three of your children have a serious sleep dissorder - night terrors, sleep walking, and now this new one. I wish you all the best at the ER, which is where I would go. this sounds serious, and traumatizing, and I'm sure he isn't getting enough sleep either.

My husband had episodes like this and we think it might be TLE (temporal lobe epilepsy)we are still looking into it. He would wake up and become very aggressive and bang on doors and was very confused and panicky at the time. It is something worth checking out, my husband takes an anti seizure med now and it took awhile to find one that works for him (2 months) but so far so good. It is a less well known type of seizure and can sometimes be diagnosed as a psychiatric issue, ignoring the seizure activity. Finding a doctor is the first battle, as we all know not all doctors are a like and each have their own way of doing things! We were told by a doctor that sometimes these seizures do not show up on a normal EEG. We are still trying to get a specailized overnight EEG where they hook up a heart monitor at the same time...still waiting! Good luck to you and your son, you are both in my thoughts and prayers.

Hi N.,

I understand your concern. What you describe could be a type of seizure, especially since he complains of his stomach and head hurting. It's good that you are seeing your doctor. The ER won't do anything for him unless it's occurring when you take him in, and it will just cost you a lot of money. I would call the doctor back everyday if you have to to see if they've had a cancellation. I would be concerned that he could hurt himself. I would also INSIST on an EEG to see what's happening in his brain during sleep. It's not fun to have done, but it would give you good information. You might also record an episode of his behavior so that your doctor can see what your son your son is doing.

I also have a son who is 5, and he has a seizure disorder called Rolandic Epilepsy. His seizures are sleep induced, so they occur within 20 minutes of him falling asleep. When they occur, it's nothing like what you're describing. His seizures are usually one-sided and involve body jerking, speech arrest etc. (partial epilepsy). My son is on two seizure medications that are helping to control them. He still has one once in awhile, but for the most part the medicine is doing it's job. My husband or I always stay with him for 30 minutes each night when he falls asleep just to make sure he's "out of the woods". Once he's asleep and past that 30 minute mark, he's fine for the rest of the night. Most kids grow out of this by the time they are teenagers, so we will be really glad when that happens!!!

Good luck to you. I hope you get some answers.