Night Terrors in Adults

Night terrors in adults are not uncommon, even they are more frequent in children.

The cause of night terrors is basically unknown.

Night Terror Episodes

As many as 6.5 percent of children and 2.2 percent of adults experience night terrors. This sleeping disorder tends to start when a child is around three and can continue until they reach their teenage years. An adult may start to experience sleep terrors later in their life with the symptom subsiding when they are over the age of 65.

A person with night terrors will experience very frightening dreams shortly after they fall asleep. The terror is so extreme the sleeper is often found sitting up in bed or thrashing around in bed. They will scream out in fright and may have their eyes open with a look of fear in their eyes. It is not possible to awaken the sleeper during the five to thirty minute episode. All the onlooker can do is standby and make sure that the sleeper does not hurt themselves.

Causes of Night Terrors in Adults

There seems to be a genetic link in night terrors. It is not uncommon for several members of the same family to have experienced night terrors as children, or later in life as adults.

There does seem to be a link between mental disorders and sleep terrors in adults even though there does not seem to be a link between the two for children. Researchers have found that adults with night terrors may also have a medical history of one of the following problems:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder

Even if an adult with night terrors does not have a mental disorder, they are likely to have other sleep disorders, medical conditions and lifestyle issues such as:

• Sleep disorders:
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
• Medical conditions:
  • Hyperthyroidism (overproduction of thyroid hormones)
  • Migraine headaches
  • Head injury
  • Encephalitis (brain swelling)
  • Stroke
  • Premenstrual period
  • Bloated stomach
  • Some types of medications
• Lifestyle issues:
  • Physical or emotional stress
  • Travel anxiety such as sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings
  • Alcohol use and abuse
  • Noise or light

Night terrors are believed to be caused by a chemical reaction in the brain that causes the sleeper to experience very frightening dreams. The terrors usually start about ninety minutes after the sleeper has fallen asleep when they are entering stage four of their sleep cycle. When a sleeper takes a sleep test in a sleep lab, sleep researchers are able to see a dramatic increase in the amount of brain activity during the night terror episode. This activity will continue to show on their monitors while the sleeper is visually showing the fear of the night terror episode.

Diagnosing Night Terrors

Night terrors are often confused with nightmares. They are very different. Nightmares come during stage five of the sleep cycle, called REM sleep. This is when the sleeper is in their deepest sleep. A sleeper can be awakened during a nightmare or they may wake up while they are having the nightmare. They may not remember the details of the nightmare, but they will remember that they had a nightmare.

With a night terror, the episode comes earlier in the sleep cycle, in stage four. The sleeper will cry out, stare with open eyes and act like they are awake even though they cannot be awakened during the episode. They will not remember having the night terror after they awaken.

Night terrors in children usually don't require medical treatment. Parents are just told to watch the child during the episode to make sure they don't hurt themselves. Adults, on the other hand, have a greater chance of risk with night terrors and they should seek advice by their doctor. The only way to accurately diagnose night terrors is to work with your doctor. Your doctor will probably:

• Ask you some basic questions about the episodes such as:
  • Are you told that you cry or scream out in the night?
  • Is it difficult for someone to wake you up when you are screaming in your sleep?
  • Do you feel confused when someone wakes you up?
  • Do you remember having the fearful dreams?
• Ask for a full medical history including all medications which you have taken
• Ask if you or any of your relatives have ever had a sleep disorder
• Ask you to keep a sleep diary noting what you did before you went to sleep, when you went to bed

Your doctor may schedule you for a sleep test. This will let sleep technicians monitor your brain, heart and breathing activity and view your movements and actions while you sleep. The results of this test will help the doctor understand your sleep situation and diagnose if you have night terrors or another sleep disorder.

Treating Night Terrors

Night terrors tend to go away on their own when a child reaches the teen years. Night terrors in adults don't seem to stop without a doctor's help to identify the cause. For example, some people have night terrors due to a specific medication or in combination with other sleep disorders like sleep apnea. The sleep apnea causes the sleeper to not sleep deeply and the interruptions caused by the apneas may trigger the night terrors. If the medication is changed or the sleep apnea is treated, the night terrors may go away..

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