Night terrors are sleep disturbances where you partially wake up and experience fear and panic symptoms. You might scream, get out of bed or move around violently. Many people go back to sleep as soon as the episode is over. In the morning, you won’t remember what happened. A healthcare provider can help you manage night terrors.
Night terrors (sleep terrors) happen when your brain is partially asleep and partially awake. It causes a state of panic or fear. You or your child may sit up or jump out of bed, cry, scream, start sweating and feel your heart beat fast. Night terrors usually last between one and 30 minutes, and you’ll fall back to sleep when they’re over.
It can be difficult for parents, caregivers or sleeping partners to calm you down during a night terror. In the morning, you won’t remember what happened.
Night terrors are a type of parasomnia. These are a group of sleep disorders that affect sleep movements and behavior. They happen during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage of sleep, usually in the first part of the night.
Children are more at risk of night terrors, especially between ages 3 through 7. Most often, children grow out of night terrors when they reach adolescence or adulthood. Children may look dazed with their eyes open or sometimes closed. Children aren’t easily consoled or responsive to simple conversations during an episode and may become more upset if you try to calm them down. They may have partial awake behaviors such as kicking, mumbling or unclear speech. Kids who have sleep terrors are more likely to sleepwalk later in life, wet the bed and they likely won’t remember what happened in the morning.
Night terrors are less common among 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.
It can be easy to confuse night terrors and nightmares, but there are differences.
Night terrors | Nightmares |
---|---|
Happen during non-REM sleep. | Happen during REM sleep. |
You’re partially awake, then go back to sleep. | You wake up completely. |
You don’t remember the dream. | You remember the dream. |
It involves thrashing and screaming. | It involves feelings of fear. |
Night terrors | |
Happen during non-REM sleep. | |
Nightmares | |
Happen during REM sleep. | |
You’re partially awake, then go back to sleep. | |
Nightmares | |
You wake up completely. | |
You don’t remember the dream. | |
Nightmares | |
You remember the dream. | |
It involves thrashing and screaming. | |
Nightmares | |
It involves feelings of fear. |
One study estimated that sleep terrors affect 1% to 6.5% of children between 1 through 12 years of age. They’re less common among adults.
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Signs of night terrors include:
Symptoms of night terrors include:
The cause of night terrors is unknown. Research suggests night terrors happen when your consciousness is stuck between deep stages of sleep and wakefulness. You’re not fully awake as a night terror happens. That’s why it’s hard for someone else to comfort or wake you up.
Night terrors may trigger (happen) after or because of the following:
Night terrors can affect anyone at any age. Studies show that night terrors may run in your biological family history.
You may also be more at risk of night terrors if you have another underlying sleep disorder, like obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder.
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Night terrors may or may not interrupt your child’s sleep and affect the quality of sleep you get each night.
Night terrors could also lead to physical injury. They usually involve thrashing (moving around violently). Children and adults may fall out of bed or smack their arms and legs on nearby bedroom furniture. It’s common to wake up with bruises after a night terror. Some injuries are more serious and require immediate medical attention.
A healthcare provider will diagnose night terrors after a detailed history and a physical exam to learn more about you or your symptoms or gather observations from a parent or sleeping partner. Treatment isn’t necessary if you only have infrequent episodes, like a few night terrors a year. But you should see a healthcare provider if they happen frequently, like a few times each week.
You won’t usually need additional testing. But your provider may offer tests like an electroencephalogram (EEG) or overnight sleep study (polysomnography) to rule out conditions with similar symptoms or triggers like obstructive sleep apnea.
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There isn’t a specific treatment that stops night terrors for everyone.
The first line of treatment is to ensure the safety of someone who has a night terror and then let the episode run its course. The person experiencing the night terror might not remember what happened. Offering support the next day can help someone better understand what’s going on. It’s also important to address common triggers such as a lack of sleep, obstructive sleep apnea or fever, as that can reduce the frequency of episodes.
A healthcare provider may recommend strategies to reduce stress, like talking to a mental health professional. Your emotional health can impact how well you sleep at night.
Healthcare providers don’t recommend medications as a treatment for night terrors. If you need medications, your provider will offer them only in very frequent injury prone episodes after treating triggers. Medications treat underlying conditions, especially anxiety disorders, for example.
A healthcare provider may recommend strategies to improve your sleep hygiene. This will help you get the amount and quality of sleep you need. It may reduce how often night terrors affect you. These include:
Night terrors are disruptive, not only to you but also to others within your household. They’re alarming for parents, caregivers and sleeping partners, as it can be difficult to comfort someone who’s experiencing one.
Night terrors usually don’t last forever. Many children may outgrow night terrors before they reach high school. Some night terrors happen with underlying conditions, so managing those can reduce how often night terrors happen.
If night terrors are frequent and you’re not getting quality sleep each night, let a healthcare provider know.
Experts don’t recommend waking up someone who’s having a night terror. Your first reaction might be to hold down or stop someone from thrashing or moving during an episode. This can be dangerous for both you and the person experiencing a night terror, as their brain is in deep sleep and may not wake up easily. In fact, attempting to wake up someone may prolong a sleep terror episode.
You can help someone during a night terror by gently guiding them back to bed (if they’re out of bed) and speaking to them slowly, quietly and calmly. This will help them get back to sleep when the episode is over. You should also stay with the person experiencing an episode to make sure they’re safe until they fall back to sleep.
Talk to a healthcare provider about night terrors if:
Your mind probably goes to the worst possible scenario if you hear someone scream and move around violently in the middle of the night. You might feel like there’s nothing you can do to help calm them down. On the other side, you might wake up to someone telling you that you had symptoms of a night terror. But you don’t remember any of it.
Exactly as the name says, night terrors are terrifying for everyone involved. Symptoms prevent you, and those within your household, from getting a good night’s rest.
If night terrors are frequent, talk to a healthcare provider. They can help you narrow down a cause, avoid triggers and/or manage any underlying conditions.
Last reviewed on 05/29/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy