Skip to main content
  • Patient Portal
  • Pay Bill
  • Request Appointment
MCHS_Logo_2024_BLACK
    • Services

      Featured Services

      • Cardiology (Heart)
      • Gastroenterology & Hepatology (Digestive Care)
      • Neurosurgery
      • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB-GYN)
      • Oncology (Cancer)
      • Orthopedics & Orthopedic Surgery (Bones)
      • Primary Care
      • Spine Care
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Urology

      View all services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Blooming Prairie
      • Butterfield
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Lake City
      • Lake Crystal
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals

    Recent Posts

    • Two people working
      Speaking of Health
      Maintaining healthy relationships with age
      May 15, 2025
    • Charlie Pierce
      Patient Stories
      The sound of success: How improved hearing aids career change
      May 01, 2025
    • Produce aisle shopping
      Speaking of Health
      Want to reduce chronic inflammation? Start with your grocery list
      April 24, 2025
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight-loss (Bariatric) Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Speaking of Health
    Wednesday, May 5, 2021

    Easing the fear of nightmares

    Topics in this Post
    • Family Medicine
    • Parenting
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Pediatric Medicine
    Child sleeping with teddy bear

    Nightmares can be scary for children and their parents. Children usually begin having nightmares between the ages of 3 and 6. Nightmares usually start to decrease after age 10.

    The content of childhood nightmares varies with age. Younger children might have nightmares about monsters, while older kids have nightmares about school or difficulties at home.

    Nightmare causes

    Nightmares can be caused by a number of things, including:

    • Stress from normal everyday life
    • Large changes, such as a move or death in the family
    • Lack of sleep
    • Watching scary movies or reading scary books

    Occasional nightmares usually aren't causes for concern, and they can be discussed during a routine well-child visit. You may want to talk to your provider sooner if your child’s nightmares occur frequently and persist over time, routinely disrupting sleep, causing fear of going to sleep or causing daytime behavior problems.

    So what can you do the next time your child awakens in the middle of the night with a nightmare? Be patient, calm and reassuring.

    Also, try these tips for more peaceful nights:

    • Talk about the dream.
      Ask your child to describe the nightmare. What happened? What made it scary? Then remind your child that nightmares aren’t real and can’t hurt you.
    • Put stress in its place.
      If your child seems anxious or stressed, talk about what’s bothering him or her. Read more about fostering resiliency in kids. Also, if your child is grieving, learn ways to provide support.
    • Provide company.
      Your child might feel more secure sleeping with a favorite stuffed animal, blanket or other comfort object.
    • Brighten up.
      Use a night light in your child’s room. If your child wakes up during the night, the light might be reassuring. Have the nightlight be as dim as possible so as not to interfere with sleep.
    • Open the doors. 
      Leave your child’s door open at night so that he or she won’t feel alone. And leave your door open, too, so you can respond quickly if your child has a nightmare.

    By Mayo Clinic Health System staff

    Topics in this Post
    • Family Medicine
    • Parenting
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Pediatric Medicine

    Related Posts

    Child's head on lap Stomachache in children: How to know if it's serious
    Parent talking with child Changes ahead: Talking with children about puberty
    Two kids with backpacks running to school Back-to-school checklist: Are your kids ready?
    Mayo Clinic Health System
    About Us
    Careers
    Volunteer
    Donate
    Contact Us
    Patient Care
    Patients & Visitors
    Classes & Events
    Mayo Clinic Connect
    Mayo Clinic
    Resources
    For Medical Professionals
    Community Resources
    Financial Assistance
    Price Transparency
    Press Room
    Compliance
    Notice of Nondiscrimination
    Notice of Privacy Practices
    No Surprises Act
    Terms of Use
    Manage Cookie
    Privacy Policy
    © 2018 - 2025 Mayo Clinic Health System