Ectopic sleep is not a symptom, but rather a type of sleep disorder syndrome that often occurs during slow-wave sleep, where partially awakened children are accompanied by complex abnormal behavior. This means that children who experience ectomorphic sleep are partially awakened during a deep sleep state, but are not fully conscious, which is often referred to as a half-asleep, half-awake state. Night terrors and sleepwalking are two common types of ectopic sleep in childhood. Night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, occur when the partially awakened child cries and reacts physically with extreme fear: rapid heartbeat and profuse sweating. They are accompanied by fearful and staring expressions, and some children experience repeated kicking and punching during the episodes. It takes a few minutes to recognize the parents, and it takes some time after the attack to calm down, and on the next day it is impossible to recall the night terrors. It is important to note that night terrors are not nightmares caused by nightmares; they are mostly awakened after a nightmare with no behavioral abnormalities and can be clearly recalled afterwards. A study published in the American Journal of Medical Pediatrics (JAMA pediatrics) found that night terrors in children most often occur at 1.5 years of age, about 35% of children at this age have night terrors, about 56% of children at the age of 13 years have had at least one night terrors, indicating that night terrors are more common in childhood. In addition, sleepwalking occurs frequently in childhood, and children who sleepwalk usually have no clear idea of where they are, accompanied by slowed speech and slowed reflexes. Some children may get dressed and wander around their bedroom or walk to the pantry. The most common age for sleepwalking in children is 10, at which age about 14 percent of children have experienced sleepwalking. And during childhood, about 29 percent of children have at least one episode of sleepwalking. Parents with a history of sleepwalking episodes are more likely to have children who sleepwalk. There are several similarities between night terrors and sleepwalking: 1, children are unresponsive during the episodes; 2, there is often no recollection of the episodes after the episodes; 3, both can be worsened by sleep deprivation, noise, fever, stress, and certain medications; and 4, sleepwalking may occur in about one-third of the children who have had night terrors. What should parents do when their children have abnormal sleep? The first thing to do when your child has a night terror is to stay calm, don’t try to wake the child, make sure the child doesn’t hurt themselves, and try to keep the child in bed. Be sure to explain to other caregivers how to handle your child’s night terror episodes when you are not with them. If your child is sleepwalking, don’t wake them up and gently guide your child back to bed. If you are concerned about your child’s sleep, try keeping a sleep log of where your child sleeps, how long they sleep at night, how many times they experience sleep disturbances, and how long they nap during the day, and share this information with your pediatrician. Parents are also advised to educate their children on good sleep habits, create a good sleep environment, avoid factors that may trigger ectopic sleep, and seek medical attention if sleep problems persist.