Yep....you worry, sleep with your door open,double lock all doors, put bells on everything and wait until he outgrows it.
Staying at the lake worried me the most. People said to just lock the door....but they didn't understant that he could un lock it and try to take the boat.
Linda C

Oh, this brings back memories! When my daughter was little she began to suffer from terrible night terrors and if we tried to gently awaken or comfort her in any way, she screamed as though zombies were attacking her. After trying everything before her bedtime to avert the problem (no t.v. or food at least an hour prior to bedtime to give her mind and digestive system a chance to settle down), her doctor finally consulted a sleep specialist for us.

We were advised that children who suffer from night terrors and sleepwalking have become only partially aroused from an overly deep sleep cycle that they cannot disconnect from. He suggested putting her to bed with a radio (easy listening music at low volume) playing in her room. Apparently the brain adjusts enough to the sound of music/D.J. talking, to fall into a peaceful sleep, but provides just enough stimulus to prevent one from falling into that too deep sleep that precipitates a sleep terror episode. We tried it and it worked, after 2 years of chronic problems!

Today she is a healthy, happy 20 year old. The only drawback...to this day she keeps a clock radio on her nightstand on low volume, can't seem to fall asleep without it, lol. Don't know if it'll work for your DD, but it's worth a shot. Good luck.

Wow, Pickyshopper, that's a good idea. I wish that I had tried that.

My DD is 21, now, and she had night terrors. Between the ages of about 6 to 9. It wasn't as bad as some,but enough to really scare us and leave us floundering about, not knowing what to do.

We figured out that if she got hot, whilst asleep, then she would have an nt. Even in winter, if she was under a doona, and really snug, if she overheated a little bit, then things would start.

At that time, she changed schools, moved house, and had to start new friendships..so who knows, that could have caused her a lot of stress. I think, she was also struggling with her place in the family, and had some issues with her younger brother.

Now... she is fine, sleeps a lot !

I think just riding out the terror, keeping her safe and she will grow out of it. Perhaps you could get her checked out by the doctor. The sock thing, is very curious.

MY SON ALSO HAS NIGHT TERRORS. WE FOUND THAT IF WE ASK HIM TO GO POTTY AND MAKE HIM WALK TO THE BATHROOM AND PEE, IT AROUSES HIM ENOUGH FOR HIM TO CALM DOWN A LITTLE. WE ALSO PLAY OCEAN MUSIC FROM HIS CLOCK RADIO. IT PLAYS FOR AN HOUR. AFTER PEEING WE GET HIM BACK IN BED AND START THE MUSIC AGAIN. HE WILL STILL BE WIMPERING A LITTE BUT MUCH, MUCH LESS SEVERLY. HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL.

Funny you who who talk about being gentle with a child experiencing tight terrors. My son who walked in his sleep also had night terrors as a toddler. When he would waken screaming it sometimes took 1/2 an hour to settle him down again. A friend who had a son who suffered the same way, told me to waken him thoroughly, so the dream state would stop. I would take him into the brightly lit bathroom wash his face with a wet wash cloth and give him a drink of cold water....by then he might still be sobbing but not terrified of something in a dream....and after taking him back to his room and soothing him for a few minutes he would quietly go back to sleep.
Now the sleep walking was something different....he would get out of bed and go into the kitchen to get something to eat....and only when you talked to him did you realize he was asleep. He would walk around the house snapping on lights...once I found him in the den sitting on the floor "reading" a book held upside down, once or twice he tried to go outside but we heard him trying to open the door.
It stopped about age 12...but he continued to talk in his sleep....scary when his voice was beginning to change and you would be awakened to "a man in the house!" LOL! His poor wife says she doesn't even hear him any more!
Linda C

Thanks for all your comments...it is nice to know others have/gone through the same thing and I am not alone. My daughter has had low music on in her room everynight since the terrors began, and I do find it does help.It is just so scary and worrysome when she does get up and do things while sleepwalking.My daughter has also complained about being too hot when falling asleep and even though I dress her in pj's, most nights recently, checking on her before I go to bed I find she has stripped down to nothing and crawled back into bed..lol... nothing really new has been happening in her life other then the talk of moving closer to her grandparents who she spends lots of time with, after the school year is over. we have all been talking about how much better it would be when we are closer cause then her and grandma can go out shopping more and both my kids can have more sleep overs , which they both love more often. to me that sounds exciting, but maybe thats what sparked the issues again. The fear of leaving what she has like her school and friends behind.