What are night terrors?
Night terrors, or sleep terrors, are a parasomnia affecting around 40 percent of children. During a night terror, episodes of screaming, flailing and fear are present while asleep. Night terrors can sometimes include sleepwalking, and most children will outgrow these episodes by the time they reach their teenage years.
What causes night terrors?
A parasomnia is an undesired behavior while asleep. Since night terrors typically occur during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, they can be impacted by sleep deprivation, stress, fever, and sleep disruptions. Sometimes, they can also be influenced by other sleep disorders, including restless leg syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea. Mood disorders and certain medications may also increase the risk of sleep terrors.
What are symptoms of night terrors?
A patient suffering from night terrors will not remember having the terror upon waking. Along with screaming and appearing frightened, patients may also kick, breathe heavily, be inconsolable, stare wide-eyed, be hard to wake, and have aggressive behavior. All of these symptoms occur while the person is asleep.
How are night terrors diagnosed and treated?
Night terrors can often be diagnosed by your healthcare provider based on the description of the symptoms and sleep behaviors. At times, a polysomnography, or sleep study, may be recommended.
While most night terrors are eventually outgrown and don’t require treatment, those sleep terrors that are disruptive or that could cause injury, may require exploring treatment options. These treatment options may include treating underlying health conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Other options may include relaxation therapy for anxiety and stress, or anticipatory waking, which involves waking the person 15 to 20 minutes prior to the time that the sleep terror most typically occurs.
If your child experiences night terrors, it is typically best to not wake your child during the episode. Waiting for the episode to stop on its own won’t hurt your child. Speaking calmly and softly will often help the situation far better than attempting to wake your child.