Sleep Terrors: What Are They and How It can Prevented

Published: Nov 08, 2024
Updated: Nov 08, 2024
Sleep Terrors: What Are They and How It can Prevented
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    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.

    Key Takeaways
    Sleep terrors or night terrors are a type of parasomnia in which the sleeper may wake up with intense fear, screaming, or crying.
    Sleep terrors affect children more commonly than it does for adults.
    Common signs of this condition include fear, sudden arousal, screaming, crying, thrashing, fast heart rate, and rapid breathing among others.
    Complications of sleep terrors include bodily injury, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, and migraine.
    Typically, this condition does not require any medical intervention and tends to resolve on its own.

    What are Sleep Terrors?

    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

    signs and symptoms of sleep terrors

    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

    complication 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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    Prevent night terrors and sleep peacefully with the ShutEye App!
    Try Free 7-Days Trial

    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.

    shuteye logo
    Prevent night terrors and sleep peacefully with the ShutEye App!
    Try Free 7-Days Trial
    FAQ

    Night terrors usually resolve on their own, especially when a child starts to develop. However, some strategies that you can adopt at home would be to stick to a consistent bedtime routine, practice good sleep hygiene, and avoid waking the sleeper up during an episode. For severe episodes, you may want to consider consulting a sleep specialist for proper diagnosis and treatment.

    Night terrors can sometimes be triggered by traumatic experiences such as childhood trauma, PTSD, or a significant life stressor. However, they can also occur without any trauma history.

    Psychiatric disorders or mental health conditions may cause adult night terrors to occur.
    About authors
    Amirah is a content writer passionate about topics related to mental health and wellness. Recently, she delved into the realm of sleep health, spurred by a personal recognition of her subpar sleep habits and a desire for improvement. Amirah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Communication Studies from the University of Nottingham.
    Dr. Wei Cui
    Reviewer
    Dr. Cui is a board-certified internal medicine physician and applied psychologist with more than 30 years of experience in both fields especially in terms of the regulation and intervention of sleep disorders.

    American Psychiatric Association (2013) Parasomnia. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 457

    Carrillo-Solano, M., Leu-Semenescu, S., Golmard, J., Groos, E., & Arnulf, I. (2016). Sleepiness in sleepwalking and sleep terrors: A higher sleep pressure? Sleep Medicine26, 54-59. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2015.11.020

    Fialho, L. M. N., Pinho, R. S., Lin, J., Minett, T. S. C., Vitalle, M. S. de S., Fisberg, M., Peres, M. F. P., Vilanova, L. C. P., & Masruha, M. R.. (2013). Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine. Arquivos De Neuro-psiquiatria, 71(2), 83–86. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2013005000006

    John Hopkins Medicine (2024) Nightmares and Night Terrors [online]. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/nightmares-and-night-terrors

    Leung AKC, Leung AAM, Wong AHC, Hon KL. Sleep Terrors: An Updated Review. Curr Pediatr Rev. 2020;16(3):176-182. doi: 10.2174/1573396315666191014152136. PMID: 31612833; PMCID: PMC8193803.

    Lopez, R., Jaussent, I., and Dauvilliers, Y. (2014) Objective daytime sleepiness in patients with somnambulism or sleep terrors. Neurology Journals, 83 (22) 2070-2076. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001019

    Moini, J., LoGalbo, A., & Ahangari, R. (2023). Consciousness. Foundations of the Mind, Brain, and Behavioral Relationships, 195-210. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95975-9.00024-X

    Spratt, E. (2024) Sleep Terrors [online]. Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/914360-overview?form=fpf

    Skiba, V. and Morse, A. (2021) Sleep Terrors [online]. Available at: https://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders/sleep-terrors/

    Van Horn NL, Street M. (2023) Night Terrors [online]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493222/

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