The 12 Disturbing Sleep Disorders
5. Night Terrors
Nightmares in itself are very difficult to deal with, especially if they’re intense and scary; and most of the time, our reaction to nightmares is merely waking up and working up a sweat. But to some people, their reactions are so severe it handicaps the person’s ability to sleep. Night terrors are characterized by intense reactions to nightmares, most common in children, and will cause intense fear that will make someone almost inconsolable (Myer, n.d.). Reactions can range from screaming to running in sheer terror. For those of you who watched the 2012 horror movie from Sinister, he is a great example of a child having night terrors.
The difference between nightmares and night terrors is that night terrors happen during non-rem sleep while nightmares happen during REM sleep (Pappas, 2011). In some severe cases, night terrors mix with sleepwalking, and parents would often find their children in weird places (Pappas, 2011). It usually happens between 10 to 15 minutes (Pappas, 2011). The cause is a mystery, but fever, irregular sleep, and stress can trigger it (Pappas, 2011). It usually fades after age.
Responses