30 Things You Didn’t Know About Night Terrors

Nightmares and night terrors are not the same thing

Image Source/ CNETSome might think that when they've experienced a nightmare, they've experienced a night terror, and vice-versa. Well, the two are not interchangeable. Dreaming and having nightmares occurs during REM sleep, while the panic and confusion that comes with night terrors occurs during non-REM sleep.

Children are more likely to experience night terrors than adults

Image Source/ The SwaddleWhile nightmares / terrors have been evident in adolescents as young as 24 months, it isn't until 3 years old that they become more prevalent. However, they take a biggest incidence between the ages of 7 and 9, before eventually declining as they outgrow their youth.

3% of adults experience night terrors

Image Source/ The Treatment SpecialistWhile children are the main sufferers of vivid and lucid night terrors, adults can still suffer from those awful experiences. Healthline suggests that around 3 percent of adults experience night terrors, and that eating late can trigger those incidences.

Women are more likely to experience night terrors than men

Image Source/ Spectrum Mental HealthWhile I'm not sure there's much scientific grounding or basis for the claim, it's believed that women are more prone to scary dreams and, thus, night terrors. They suffer on more of a regular basis than men throughout both their teen and adult years.

Children often dream about being chased

Image Source/ Labex CortexThere's recurring themes for all sorts of age groups, but as children are the most likely to experience night terrors, theirs's are the most poignant. Recurring night terrors have themes and these can include animals, monsters, physical aggressions, falling or being chased.

The mysterious scheduled awakenings

Image Source/ TODAYDespite the eerie, sinister name, the actual process is much less dramatic. Scheduled awakenings are simply the act of waking up an individual before their anticipated incident. The hope is that this diminishes the occurrence and effects of sleep terrors.

The contents of your night terror is dependent on your age

Image Source/ Dream DictionaryIt's actually proven that your age can depend on the contents of your sleep terror. For example, those ages 7-9 might experience night terrors concerning imaginary or mythical creatures, while 10-12 year-olds might fear kidnapping. However, loss of control and fear of injury are the most common features.

Medications can trigger night terrors

Image Source/ HelpGuide.orgBelieve it or not, your medication might be the reason your sleep is the way it is. Medications like antidepressants and narcotics are so strong and effective that they can have a lasting effect on the way that we dream, which includes our nightmares and night terrors.

Night terrors can instigate aggression and fear

Image Source/ Psy-visionsAll of those that have experienced or watched someone experience night terrors know just how frightening they can be. Well, night terrors can actually see suffers endure episodes of intense fear, screaming, running around and even engaging in acts of aggression, all while asleep.

It happens at the beginning of your sleep

Image Source/ Raising Children NetworkUnlike dreaming, night terrors occur within the first 1 to 2 hours of sleep, specifically during the third and fourth stages of non-REM sleep. This may mean that the person hasn't gone through a full cycle of sleep yet, which might point towards the insanity/sanity combination of experiencing night terrors.

They can be triggered by negative emotions

Image Source/ Kawi SnippetsIf you're feeling a lot of negative emotions then they might just be taking a toll on your mental health and sleep hygiene. Emotions such as confusion, disgust, sadness, and guilt can all directly impact the contents, regularity and strength of your dreams, nightmares and night terrors.

Night terrors are difficult to remember

Image Source/ Medical News TodayIf you have a dream or nightmare, we don't always remember them, but sometimes we do. However, when experiencing night terrors, it can be much harder to recall what happened during the episode. Sufferers can be difficult to arouse and console during the incident.

Your muscles are paralysed during dreams

Image Source/ Rosetta Stone BlogIt's not well known that during dreams your muscles are paralysed as a result of REM sleep in order to prevent you from acting out in your dreams. However, this isn't the same case for night terrors. Given that you're not in REM sleep, this is why your muscles are able to move with your knowledge.

The likelihood is that you don't need medical intervention

Image Source/ Psych CentralDon't take this as gospel, but the likelihood that you need some kind of medical or psychological intervention because of your night terrors is very slim. For most people, the benign and mundane act of sleeping, dreaming, or having night terrors, is just that.

Sleep terrors are diagnosed based on medical history

Image Source/ Hamilton FraserIn order to diagnose someone with genuine sleep terrors, the examiner considers the medical history of the patient, and looks for the classic symptoms of sleep terrors. They then have to exclude any possible sleep disturbance causes to come to an informed diagnosis.

Sleep terror sufferers are generally never referred onto a neurologist

Image Source/ Medical News TodayAccording to Psychology Today, there are no laboratory abnormalities related to sleep terrors, and thus it is rare that there is a neurologic or medical intervention in a typical case of sleep terror presentation. Sleep terrors, while complex, are not inherently considered physical.

The DSM-5 criteria for sleep terrors:

Image Source/ OCD-UKWhen a psychologist comes to assess someone who believes they have been suffering from sleep terrors, they have to work through the framework to accurately and solidly diagnose the person with NREM sleep arousal disorder. Some of these symptoms include the below:

#1 - Abrupt arousals from sleep

Image Source/ Verywell HealthWhile it might seem vague and generic, and the opposite of what you think a night terror is, this is the most prevalent symptom of someone suffering with sleep arousal disorder. The individual might abruptly wake with a scream, intense fear, or signs of autonomic arousal.

#2 - Unresponsiveness to outside comfort

Image Source/ City MattressWhen someone is experiencing their night terrors, it might be common for someone else to aid and comfort them during the episode. If the sufferer is unresponsive during this process, it's another sign that they might be enduring a night terror.

#3 - The symptoms are unexplainable

Image Source/ Genetic Literacy ProjectOur sleep can be affected by a many number of external influences, and these can be mental disorders, medical conditions, medications, substance abuse, etc. Once we remove these factors as a variable, the psychologist can take a deeper and clearer look at the night terrors occurring.

Reassurance is a treatment in itself

Image Source/ Psychology TodayAccording to psychology today, reassurance might just be the only treatment necessary for sporadic nightmares. This might be reassurance from a professional, or a loved one who can watch over you during your episodes to make sure you are safe and well.

The lower the stress, the better our dreams

Image Source/ HelpGuide.orgAs you would've thought, reducing your stress reduces the chance of your having a nightmare or night terror. But actually, it correlates more than you think. By reducing your stress, you are increasing your chance of happier dreams, especially if you're feeling satisfied in life.

Minimise your daily stressors to help ease your symptoms

Image Source/ FamilyDoctor.orgWhile it may not be the sole cause of your night terrors, it may certainly play a part. Asking to minimise your stressors is easier said than done, but working to make sure that you are in a place of peace and serenity when you sleep will do your brain no harm.

We don't tend to dream sound

Image Source/ Reflectedfaith ShopA lot of the things we experience in our dreams, nightmares and night terrors are mostly perceived in pictures. It's believed that while we're seeing a lot going on, there's not much sound or movement happening while we're experiencing these images.

Experiencing strange night terrors can be normal

Image Source/ InStyleWhile it's hard to say that night terrors are in any way normal or should be ignored, it's the content of our dreams, nightmares and night terrors that are normal. The part of our brain that is responsible for making sense of things gets shut down when we're sleeping, so strangeness is normal.

The faces we see, we recognise

Image Source/ WIREDEvery single face you see in your dreams, nightmares and night terrors are ones that you've seen before. Don't believe me? Just ask Stanford University. They did a study on this and found that you can't see faces you've never seen before, so your brain reuses old ones.

Your feelings are reflected in your dreams

Image Source/ CBCDepending on what you're feeling throughout your day depends on the content, duration and intensity of the dream you have at night. You're most likely to experience night terrors if you're suffering from post-traumatic symptoms, guilt, or grief of a death.

Negative experiences are more common than positive

Image Source/ VarietyAccording to Healthline, negative dreams are actually more common than positive ones. While that may just be a fact, it could be suggested that we remember our negative experiences like nightmares and night terrors as they were more traumatising than our positive ones.

They can be controlled

Image Source/ Drive Forward FountainHave you ever heard of lucid dreaming? Well, if you haven't definitely give it a Google. It's the technique of being able to control your own dreams and nightmares. While it's not necessarily linked to night terrors, it might give you more confidence in your sleeping abilities.

The hidden meaning behind teeth

Image Source/ Sleep FoundationTo finish us off on a cool fact about dreaming in general: teeth dreams. Have you ever had one? Well, if you have, dreams about losing your teeth can be caused by actually undiagnosed dental irritation, rather than the old-wives-tale of a premonition of death. Sorry folks!