What Causes Night Terrors

The answer to what causes night terrors varies between sleepers and can vary with their age and lifestyle.

Adults and children have night terrors.

What Are Night Terrors

Night terrors are known by several names: Sleep terrors, night terrors, sleep terror disorder and pavor nocturnus. In all cases, the sleeper has very frightening dream episodes which, in turn, cause the sleeper to experience extreme physical effects for anywhere from five to thirty minutes. The sleeper may twist around in bed or sit up and cry out as a result of their fear, often with their eyes wide open in a stare, even though they remain asleep.

A person with night terrors may also experience other physical changes which are usually associated with fear such as:

• Rapid breathing – The sleeper can appear to be panting or trying to catch their breath.
• Increased heart rate – The heart can be felt through the chest with a rapid rhythm.
• Sweating – The sleeper might be sweating all over and may appear flushed as if they have been running.

Some people remember that they had a night terror the next morning. They may even remember what was frightening them and that they could not seem to wake up. They may remember vague images of frightening animals such as spiders or snakes or people who were trying to hurt them. On the other hand, most sleepers have no memory of the night terror when they wake up.

What Causes Night Terrors

Unlike a sleep disorder like snoring, it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of night terrors. Tests in sleep labs seem to show that an episode is most like to begin about ninety minutes after falling asleep. This is about the time that the sleeper is passing from Stage 3 to Stage 4 in the sleep cycle. The sleep researchers at the sleep lab will see increased brain activity at the same time as the sleep terrors. This leads researchers to believe that night terrors might be caused by a chemical reaction in the body that causes a "misfire" in the brain.

It is believed that the misfire in the brain can be caused by several factors including:

• Stress – Job and personal stress can be the cause for adults, while children have the stress of new experiences such as making new friends and changing family situations such as divorce.
• Fever – Prolonged periods of high fever due to illness can result in a night terror.
• Sleep deprivation – Long periods without sleep can result in a night terror when the person is finally able to fall asleep.
• Medications – Some medications are formulated to cause a chemical reaction in the brain, which in turn, can result in a night terror.

More Common in Children

Night terrors are more common in children than they are in adults. Up to six percent of all children experience the night terror disorder. The disorder typically starts when the child is a preschooler – from about age three to six – when their imagination is very active. The disorder typically subsides when the child enters adolescence. The race or gender of the child does not seem to increase their chances of having the disorder.

Diagnosis Can Be Incorrect

Night terrors are frequently misdiagnosed. To the observer, a night terror might look like a nightmare, however, there are some big differences:

• Nightmares will:
  • Occur in the REM stage of sleep
  • Allow the sleeper to be awakened
  • Often let the sleeper remember that they had a nightmare and they may remember the dream
• Night Terrors will:
  • Occur in Stage 4 of sleep
  • Not allow the sleeper to be awakened
  • Not let the sleeper remember their dream or the night terror episode

There is No Perfect Answer

What causes night terrors can vary from the stress felt by a three year old during a family divorce to a medication-induced night terror in an adult. The important thing to remember is that the only definitive diagnosis is from a sleep test administered by a sleep specialist. If you believe that you or your child might be having night terrors, you should consider talking to your doctor. The doctor can help you determine if these are night terrors and if there is anything you can do to minimize their occurrence.

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