Messages You have no messages
    Notifications You have no notifications
      Night Terrors

      Night Terrors

      Page 1 of 2
      Night is often associated with terror, which is an idea that most horror movies rely on. When we speak of night terrors, however, what we’re actually referring to is a medical condition — a sleep disorder to be exact — that causes affected individuals to literally wake up screaming.

      What are night terrors?

      Night terrors, also known as pavor nocturnes, are characterized by extreme terror that is usually accompanied with a temporary inability to regain consciousness, which makes for a pretty horrific sight. Night terrors occur during the later stages of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, usually around 90 minutes into sleep.

      This strange disorder is most commonly experienced by children; in fact, some estimates say that around 6% of young children between the ages of 3 and 12 experience night terrors.

      In adults, night terrors are much less common, but the characteristics of the disorder are similar.

      What causes night terrors?

      As is the case with many sleep disorders, common causes are stress and sleep deprivation. Fever or medications that affect the central nervous system can also spur terrors.

      In adults, the disorder is much less chronic and is usually caused by emotional factors. Stress, alcohol use and a history of abuse or depression seem to all contribute.

      What are the symptoms of night terrors?

      Most parents become very distressed, and often overreact, when they see their child experience night terrors, and it’s no wonder. Symptoms of night terrors can include moaning, groaning, screaming, thrashing, gasping, crying, sweating, increased heart rate, and, most distressing, children having a night terror will display a look of sheer panic.

      During night terrors, most children will be unresponsive, disoriented and difficult to wake. A child may even settle back to sleep without ever fully regaining consciousness and may further have absolutely no recollection of the event.

      While most episodes last only a couple of minutes, sometimes it may take up to 30 minutes before a child settles down completely.

      How do night terrors differ from nightmares?

      Night terrors differ from nightmares in several key ways. Firstly, nightmares occur during REM sleep much later in the sleep process, usually in the early morning hours, whereas night terrors occur during non-REM sleep earlier in the night.

      Nightmares also involve frightening dreams that are easily recalled when the subject wakes; night terrors, on the other hand, are usually devoid of any recalled scary event and often involve the sensation of pure fear itself. Lastly, it’s easy to wake individuals who are experiencing a nightmare, but people experiencing night terrors are often very difficult to wake and may continue to have night terrors for several minutes, even after attempts to wake them are made.

      Learn how to treat night terrors and what the future holds…

      Show comments