Night terrors and nightmares (2024)

FAQs

Night terrors and nightmares? ›

Night terrors and nightmares are different and happen at different stages of sleep. During a night terror you may talk and move about but are asleep. It's rare to remember having a night terror. Nightmares are bad dreams you wake up from and can remember.

Nightmares are disturbing dreams you can easily remember upon waking, while night terrors are episodes of screaming and flailing that you typically won't recall. While children more commonly experience these sleep disturbances, adults can have them too.

Night terrors in adults

Adults may be more injury-prone than children, as many people suddenly get out of bed when one happens. Night terrors in adults usually point to an underlying mental health condition, like post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorder.

PTSD often causes night terrors, a sleep disruption they may not even remember the next morning. Help your loved one find the treatment they need to help reduce their PTSD symptoms.

Night terrors can be caused by deficiencies in certain vitamins or minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and Vitamin B6. Deficiencies in these vitamins and minerals can lead to low levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps regulate sleep and calming responses.

The three types of nightmares are idiopathic, recurrent, and post-traumatic. Idiopathic Nightmares – are dream sequences that are not the result of trauma but often happen when a person is very stressed.

Similarly, experiencing night terrors doubled the risk of such problems, including hallucinations, interrupted thoughts or delusions. Younger children, between two and nine years old, who had persistent nightmares reported by parents had up to 1.5 times increased risk of developing psychotic experiences.

Anxiety: Although night terrors are common among children, they've been linked to separation anxiety in some children. Adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or another mood disorder may be more likely to have night terrors.

Many people with bipolar disorder experience nightmares and even night terrors. This can become even more troubling when coupled with either insomnia or too much sleep, depending on whether they're experiencing a manic or depressive episode.

Why shouldn't you wake up someone having a night terror? ›

The main concern is that waking someone up during a night terror could prolong the episode, because the person may believe in their half-asleep state that people or things in the room are dangerous, Singh says. It's also possible that someone experiencing night terrors will harm you out of fear.

Night terrors are most common in children ages 3 through 7, and much less common after that. Night terrors may run in families. They can occur in adults, especially when there is emotional tension or alcohol use.

Psalm 91:5-6 (ESV)

"You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday." Psalm 91 is often regarded as a powerful prayer for protection. The theme is that God is a strong fortress; he is our refuge.

While night terrors are not harmful, they can resemble other conditions or lead to problems for the child. Consult your child's healthcare provider if you notice any of the following: The child has drooling, jerking, or stiffening. Terrors are interrupting sleep on a regular basis.

Get enough sleep.

Extreme tiredness can contribute to sleep terrors. If you're not getting enough sleep, try an earlier bedtime and a more regular sleep schedule. Sometimes a short nap may help. If possible, avoid noises or other stimuli that could interrupt sleep.

A night terror is a partial waking from sleep with behaviors such as screaming, kicking, panic, sleep walking, thrashing, or mumbling. They are harmless and each episode will end in deep sleep. These are common characteristics of a night terror: Your child is frightened but can't be awakened or comforted.

Night terrors are most common in children aged 2-4 years, but they can happen in children aged up to 12 years. Most children outgrow night terrors by the time they reach puberty.

Seizures in people with SHE are characterized by frequent brief hypermotor seizures in sleep. A person may average 8 seizures in one night. The seizures can look like a simple arousal from sleep, at times confused as a nightmare or night terror.