Effects of acupuncture therapy on 83 cases of infants with night terrors / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

[Objective] For six consecutive years, we investigated 83 cases of the effect of acupuncture therapy on children with night terrors.[Subjects and Methods] The number of subjects was 83 (38 boys and 45 girls, mean age: 2.2 ± 2.8 years old). Acupuncture therapy for infants was defined as pattern identification/syndrome differentiation and treatment. The acupuncture therapy used spoon needles and moxibustion; skin stimulation was applied to the acupuncture point. Infant needles in the Daishi style and moxibustion of the incense stick were used as a method to approach the hole. Therapeutic effect was judged by a self-written evaluation form certified by the Japan Society of Pediatric Acupuncture. One major item, "sleep disorder (broad sense of night terrors)," three minor items ('night terror' in a narrower sense), 'difficulty in falling asleep,' 'nocturnal awakening,' number of nocturnal awakenings at night, and satisfaction with acupuncture therapy in infants were investigated. Evaluations were made at the time of the first treatment and before the fifth treatment. In the statistical analysis, the change in the score of the evaluation slip and the number of partial awakenings were tested by the Wilcoxon signed-rank-sum test. The level of significance was set at 5%.[Results] Significant improvement was observed in the score for the major item, minor items, and number of partial awakenings. The degree of satisfaction was 90.4%.[Conclusion] It was suggested that acupuncture therapy in infants is effective for ameliorating symptoms of "sleep disorder."

Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine / O antecedente de terror noturno é frequente em adolescentes com migrânea

Migraines and sleep terrors (STs) are highly prevalent disorders with striking similarities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the antecedent of STs by comparing adolescents suffering from migraines with healthy controls in a large consecutive series. METHODS: All patients were subjected to a detailed headache questionnaire and were instructed to keep a headache diary during a two-month period. The age range was 10 to 19 years. The diagnosis of STs was defined according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. RESULTS: A total of 158 participants were evaluated. Of these participants, 50 suffered from episodic migraines (EMs), 57 had chronic migraines (CMs) and 51 were control subjects (CG). Participants who had a history of STs had significantly more migraines than participants who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Migraine is strongly associated with a history of STs in the adolescent population independent of demographics and pain intensity.

Migrânea e terror noturno (TN) são transtornos de alta prevalência que compartilham muitas similaridades. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a ocorrência do antecedente de TN, comparando adolescentes com migrânea e adolescentes saudáveis. Métodos: Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a um questionário detalhado sobre sua cefaleia e foram instruídos a preencher um diário durante um período de dois meses. A idade dos sujeitos variou entre 10 e 19 anos. O diagnóstico de TN foi definido de acordo com a Classificação Internacional dos Transtornos do Sono. Resultados: Foram avaliados 158 sujeitos. Desses indivíduos, 50 apresentavam migrânea episódica, 57 migrânea crônica e 51 eram controles. Participantes que tinham o antecedente de TN apresentavam significativamente mais crises de migrânea do que aqueles que não tinham. Conclusões: Migrânea esteve fortemente associada ao antecedente de TN na população de adolescentes independentemente de variáveis demográficas e intensidade da dor.

Noite: escuridão sem tempo / Noche: oscuridad sin tiempo / Night: timeless darkness

Por meio da análise do material clínico de uma criança de quatro anos e de uma jovem de vinte e quatro, procuro desenvolver ideias a respeito das representações da noite e seus desdobramentos: insônia, pesadelos, terrores noturnos, angústias de morte. Analisando por um lado, a produção gráfica da criança e por outro, os sonhos da jovem, procuro estabelecer uma equivalência entre as diferentes formas de expressão que ambas encontram. Questões referentes ao tempo e atemporalidade do mundo psíquico são abordadas. Evidenciam-se situações de rivalidade fraterna, ataques ao corpo materno e configurações edípicas, vistos ora pelo prisma da menina, ora da moça, como se ambas teatralizassem a mesma personagem em momentos diferentes da existência.

La autora, por medio del análisis del material clínico de una niña de cuatro años y de una joven de veinticuatro, busca desarrollar ideas al respecto de las representaciones de la "noche" y sus desdobles: insomnio, pesadillas, terrores nocturnos y angustia de muerte. Por un lado, analiza la producción gráfica de la niña y, por otro, los sueños de la joven, buscando establecer una equivalencia entre las diferentes formas de expresión que ambas encuentran. En este trabajo se plantean cuestiones referidas al tiempo y a la intemporalidad del mundo psíquico. Se pueden evidenciar situaciones de rivalidad fraterna, ataques al cuerpo materno y configuraciones edípicas, todo eso visto ya sea o desde el prisma de la niña, o el de la joven, como si ambas mujeres teatralizaran al mismo personaje, pero en momentos diferentes de la existencia.

By analyzing the clinical samples of a four year-old child and of a twenty-four year-old woman, my attempt is to develop ideas in relation to night representations and its consequences, such as insomnia, nightmares, night terrors, and death anguish. While analyzing the child’s graphic production, on the one hand, and the young woman’s dreams, on the other, I try to establish a similarity among the different ways of expression used by both of them. Issues of the psychic world, related to time and to timelessness, are approached. Sibling rivalry situations become evident, as well as attacks to the mother’s body and oedipal configurations. These are viewed in the child and in the woman as if both play same character in different points in life.