Sleep Terrors: What Are They and How It can Prevented

Waking up with intense fear is an undesirable event that no one would like to experience. Sleep terrors, a type of parasomnia, are particularly common in children, affecting about 30% of them [1]. While rare, adults can also experience sleep terrors, often triggered by stress or underlying sleep issues.

Find out what causes sleep terrors, signs and symptoms, and ways to treat and prevent them from occurring.

What are Sleep Terrors?

Sleep terrors, also known as night terrors, are a type of parasomnia in which the sleeper wakes up in a state of intense fear or distress [2].

During an episode, you might not respond to voices, making it hard to wake you up. Additionally, when sleep terrors occur, you may find yourself suddenly sitting up in bed, screaming or shouting incoherent things. You may experience intense fear, sweating, breathing heavily, or feeling your heart racing.

An episode like this often occurs during the deep sleep stage in the Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages [3].

Causes of Sleep Terrors

The exact cause of night terror episodes is still unknown, but research suggests that night terrors happen due to several potential factors. These potential triggers include developmental aspects, environmental influences, organic factors, psychological conditions, and genetic predispositions [4].

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Sleep terrors in children

For children, it occurs between the ages of 4 to 12 years old, peaking between 5 to 7 years of age. Many children tend to outgrow night terrors as they grow older and develop mentally and physically.

Children who experience this condition are also more likely to develop sleepwalking and sleeptalking in the later parts of their childhood [4].

Sleep terrors in adults

Meanwhile, night terrors are less likely seen in adults. If an adult does experience night terrors at night, research points to underlying psychiatric disorders as a cause [4].

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of sleep terrors include the following [5]:

• Sudden arousal from sleep
• Crying or screaming
• Thrashing movements
• Agitation
• Fast heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Sweating
• Confusion, disorientation, and amnesia upon waking up
• Lack of response during episodes

Complications of Sleep Terrors

Some common complications that may arise from sleep terrors include:

Injury: Bodily injury may happen as they may also sleepwalk during episodes [6]

Sleep disturbances: May cause sleep disruptions and awakenings, leading to daytime sleepiness and fatigue [7], [8].

Anxiety and depression: As a result of sleep disruptions and changes in sleep patterns, those with sleep terrors may have elevated scores for anxiety and depression [9].

Migraine: Migraine is associated with sleep terrors due to possible serotonin level disturbances [10].

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How Is It Treated?

Sleep terrors can be treated in many different ways. For not-so-severe cases, you would not require any specific medical interventions.

However, if it happens frequently or is more severe, you may be recommended by your healthcare provider to undergo psychotherapy or to take Benzodiazepine medications to suppress stages 3 and four of NREM sleep [11].

Ways to Prevent Night Terrors

Sleep terrors can be easily managed with a few at-home strategies as most times, they would subside on their own.

Some of the strategies include the following:

• Ensure a safe and secure bedroom environment: Any potentially dangerous objects should be removed. Furniture with sharp edges should be kept away from the bed and windows should be closed.
• Avoid waking the sleeper during an episode: Trying to wake them up could worsen symptoms, prolonging the episode.
• Keep to a regular sleep schedule: Not getting enough sleep or having poor sleep habits can potentially trigger night terrors. It is important to practice good sleep hygiene and stick to a consistent sleep schedule, to ensure proper sleep.
• Avoid stimulants before bedtime: Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine before bedtime as these have stimulating effects which could affect sleep negatively.
• Consider treating underlying conditions: Rule out any underlying sleep disorders that you may have such as obstructive sleep apnea. If you do have one, ensure that it gets treated to prevent the likelihood of sleep terrors from occurring.

Conclusion

Sleep terrors are generally harmless and often resolve on their own. Effective strategies for managing them include maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, ensuring a safe sleep environment, and avoiding waking someone mid-episode.

If you suspect you might have parasomnia, consider using the ShutEye® app for a free sleep study and personalized sleep analysis. ShutEye® leverages polysomnography and AI algorithms to accurately monitor sleep patterns.

Prevent night terrors and sleep peacefully with the ShutEye App!

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