A new study has revealed that children who suffer from frequent nightmares or night terrors may be at a higher risk of exhibiting psychotic traits during adolescence.
The researchers from the University of Warwick found that children reporting frequent nightmares before the age of 12 were three and a half times more likely to suffer from psychotic experiences in early adolescence.
The study showed that children who suffered from night terrors doubled the risk of psychotic traits, including hallucinations, interrupted thoughts or delusions, while children between two and nine years old had up to one and a half times increased risk of developing psychotic experiences.
According to research, the likelihood of experiencing psychotic experiences in adolescence increased with the incidence of nightmares and the teens who only reported one period of recurrent nightmares saw a 16 percent rise, whereas those who reported three or more sustained periods of nightmares throughout the study saw a 56percent increase in risk.
However, children who had problems with falling asleep or insomnia had no relationship to later psychotic experiences.
Professor Dieter Wolke said that three in every four children experience nightmares at a young age, but nightmares over a prolonged period or bouts of night terrors that persist into adolescence can be an early indicator of something more significant in later life.
Dr Helen Fisher, of King's College London said that parents should try to maintain a lifestyle that promotes healthy sleep hygiene for their child, by creating an environment that allows for the best possible quality of sleep.
Fisher added that diet is a key part of this, and children should avoid sugary drinks before bed and parents must remove any affecting stimuli from the bedroom like TV, video games or otherwise.
The study was published in the journal SLEEP.
