Personal Experiences with Night Terrors- What They're Really Like
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When it comes to sleeping disorders, people most often think of one with very obvious and unnerving affects such as sleep walking. Obviously this is a person up and about despite the fact that their still effectively sleeping, though sometimes their eyes can be open and they may even interact with their surroundings. But what if a person has sleep-walking issues while they have a nightmare?
Well that, dear friends, is a layman’s approach to night terrors. This sleep disorder isn’t studied in much detail due to the fact that it most often occurs in children ranging from six months to three years of age, where a child’s description of their experience is patchy at best. It occurs in roughly 5% of the planet’s population at one time or another in peoples’ lives.
Night terrors also known as Pavor Nocturnus, and Sleep Terror Disorder. In children of this age range the most often signs of a night terror episode are: screaming, crying, profuse sweating, tachycardia, strange behavior, the inability to waken completely, dilated eyes unresponsive to light, and the impression of extreme fear. This is always characterized by REM, the person or child’s eyes flick back and forth quickly, regardless of whether the eyes are open or closed.
It may seem as if the child is awake, and they may even interact with other people and their surroundings, but technically the brain is still in deep sleep mode. Such episodes can last up to half an hour. Aside from the REM, this disorder is characterized by a person’s display of two separate behaviors. They can appear confused and do not recognize their family and surroundings; conversely they can be absolutely terrified of their surroundings and will flee anyone who tries to approach them as if the hounds of Hell were at their heels. In the mind of the sufferer, they are.
It should be noted that someone experiencing night terrors later in one’s life is incredibly uncommon, occurring in less than 0.001% of the population. My father suffered from head-banging syndrome, a disorder which occurs only within infants, well into his late 20s. I myself am an insomniac who, when he finally does get to sleep, can conk out for up to 14 hours without trouble. In any case, this does give some credence to the suggestion that night terrors have a genetic link. Some people suggest that it’s a trauma induced state, and while it’s possible that me be a factor correlated with this disorder, the fact that it most often occurs in children so very young makes it unlikely.
The exact dream state experienced is little known as most people who experience night terrors have no memory of what they perceived. I have had first-hand experience with this disorder for many years, my brother suffered from it from the age of 5 to this very day now that he’s in his early 20s. To witness it is both worrying and incredibly eerie.
On many occasions my brother was capable of sprinting through a pitch-black room with his eyes closed, hurtling around and over a minefield of chairs, tables, lamps, and discarded items without breaking step or tripping. The agility late sufferers of this disorder display is bordering on Olympian; their hearts pound, their breath comes in gasps, every muscle is taut as a bowstring, and they never utter so much as a peep. This is, of course, not always the case and usually only occurs when the night terror sufferer shows behavior indicating fear rather than confusion.
Sometimes certain medications can trigger night terrors. Benadryl and other antihistamines would cause a night terror every single time, despite doctor’s suggestions that they would have the opposite effect.
I recall one particularly bad episode which lasted well over an hour where we thought my brother was possessed. He picked up and threw a sofa halfway across the room, despite the fact that it weighed more than he did. He then proceeded to run into the bathroom and, light as a feather, scrambled with his hands and feet clean up corner of the tiled walls to slam against the ceiling. He crashed down into the tub and cracked the porcelain soap dish in half on his chin, but never once did he awaken.
Treatment for night terrors can be difficult as not much in the way of definitive research is present. My brother, who prefers to remain anonymous, told me what it was like. He said the real world was overlaid by a nightmarish one, turning the familiar and loving home into a den of horrors. A wall might appear to be hung in chains or made of rusted iron. Leather sofas might be torture equipment from the medieval period, and so on. That is why it is imperative that one never approach someone undergoing a night terror. In the midst of their nightmare, they see their friends and loved ones as horrific and malicious beings who are only interested in doing harm.
Imipramine and several benzodiazepines have been suggested for use in preventing night terrors and have had a generally positive effect. However one must remember that these are substances which can become addictive and abused, so good luck finding a physician willing to prescribe them to an adult, let alone a child.
One less mind-altering alternative which I’ve always found effective is changing the mood in the house to one more familiar and comforting. Turn on the lights and appliances which are typically heard throughout the day and the sufferer has come to associate with normal life. Try talking to the person in a soothing voice such as one would use to lull a baby to sleep. As they don’t visually perceive much in this state, light scented candles if you use them often, and play music familiar to the person.
All this can help to change the nightmare mind-set which the sufferer finds him/herself locked in to one which is more benign. If it works, the sufferer will allow you to approach and you can then put them back in bed with a reasonable degree of certainty that the episode has been dealt with.
Unfortunately, this method only deals with the individual episode and the problem may re-occur in the future. There is nothing which has proven one-hundred percent effective to date, though you’ll be the first to know if I find one.
Have further questions or want to share your own night terror experiences? Comment.
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- Night Terrors Resource Center
A site dedicated to finding more information on the Sleep Disorder Night Terrors. Site includes links and a message board - Berkeley Parents Network: Night Terrors
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I can see that as being beneficial in two ways: of course it's entreating God for aid, but it also might be soothing to your 3 year old if he's familiar with the sound of your voice during prayer. Hopefully your 3 year old will grow out of it. Most children do. Does he get up and walk around, or does he toss and turn in bed?
He tosses, screams, cries, fights with his hands and feet, often hits the wall, and occasionally has fallen out of bed, but rarely gets up intentionally. For a while, he insisted he was fighting dragons. When I asked what the dragons looked like, he described Draconians -- man like wingless reptiles, who carried long swords and leather drawstring pouches. He claimed they wanted to kill him and us.
That's quite unusual that he remembers what the dreams are about. If you record what he experiences in each night terror you might be able to see a pattern pointing to an issue in his daily life.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will do that.
All my life, I have been trying to find someone who had night experiences similar to mine. I thought by the title of your site that I would find personal accounts, but only accounts of people who witnessed people with "night terors". I am now 82, and still remember what they were like, and can faintly bring up the awful (that word isn't powerful enough) feeling-tone that accompianied them. My childhood experiences always began with a roaring noise and vibration. I have had OOB experiences in later life, and they also have the vibrational beginning, so i feel the night terrors are a form of OOBE.
My apologies for misleading you, John. It certainly wasn't intentional. Interesting theory you have. Sleep Paralysis, which produces brainwave activity very much like Night-Terrors, are widely believed to be a form of Out of Body Experience. I mentioned it to my brother, and he does remember having a strong perception of buzzing or vibration on those nights before an episode, which he put down to a strong case of tinitus and thought no more about.
Unfortunately, I can't really find anything more definitive.
When I have night terrors, I only have one image in my mind that I can remember each time and that's of a figure standing over my bed. When I eventually gain consciousness I am always hiding underneath my quilt, I'm drenched in sweat, I have severe heart palpatations and my muscles are stiff. I want to be able to get rid of these frightening experiences, but my doctors are less than understanding and put it down to stress (i'm a teacher and i'm studying for a phd) but that doesn't help me to stop these frequent episodes. Is there anything I can do to stop them, without going to the doctor?
Steph. I wish I could say there was a cure, but my background is in psychology more than it is medicine. I really can't think of a way to self-cure, but I find that nightmares, no matter how horrific, are the subconcious trying to tell you something. The trouble is that we're often too close to the problem to recognize it. (Sadly, doctors seem to be the last people able or willing to help when it comes to actual illness and distress, whether it be of mental or physical origin. Being sick and without successful treatment or definitive diagnosis since the age of 9, I would know)
I'm not saying that by analyzing the dream as it relates to your current life it will stop the problem, but it tends to do so in my experience. If you want to talk about it further I'd be happy to swap emails. Just let me know.
I understand that night terrors are comon among children but i am 36 years old and i still have them. I am so tired but so afraid to go to sleep. i was just woken by a night terror a few minutes ago and i am completely disorientated. What can i do to help stop this? Please help i am terrified!
Well, if you had the money I would suggest you looked into going to a sleep center. http://www.sleepcenters.org/
This link should allow you to locate one nearby. After that, you might try looking for correlations between nights when you have night terror episodes and things you eat or drink. Energy drinks, caffeine, and some antihistamines can be the culprit. If that is no help, consider playing calming music right before you go to sleep. That can help sometimes.
If nothing seems to help, try to pay attention to what the night terrors are about. Sometimes it can be the subconcious mind trying to get your attention.
I really wish I could be of more help, but I'm not much more than a layman when it comes to these things.
I love that picture. good hubpage also!
i have been suffering from night terrors sice my early 20,s, but the difference with mine is it does always come,i mean always when im alone in bed..when my girlfriend is beside me it never comes.i experience like a small creature(best description)pushing on my chest, im struggling to keep or get awake.its really scary.. anyone has any more info pls mail me on sully-1980@hotmail.com.. thanks.
Hi there, I really enjoyed reading your article. I have suffered from night terrors my entire life and am now in my early 20's and they are not going anywhere. I've embarked on my own research because quite frankly, as those of you who suffer from them know, they rule our lives. It's helped to soothe the trauma and bring closure to some things, mostly my uneasyness that I have them at all.
You're welcome to visit my wordpress blog: Tales of the Night
http://talesofthenight.wordpress.com/
I'd love to meet up with more people who have this problem and could share their experiences and how they've curbed or are managing things so far.
Cheers*
That is by far the closest description I have ever seen to my own experiences, I am 28 and have suffered from night terrors since i was an infant. Upon waking I do not have recollection really of the experiences, but they do come to me in what i can only describe as flashbacks.
I think I had these when I was a child but as you point out, changing the atmosphere in the home might have been the ticket! I was raised by a schizophrenic grandmother and many of her episodes left me a little worse for wear I think. Amazingly, I dream now about things in living color - some of them 'memories' and some of them just thoughts and things in general but they never scare me anymore. I am aware (somehow) that it is a dream and can tell myself to 'come out of it' believe it or not and go back to the other channels so to speak and keep dreaming. Only once or twice have I had to abandon sleep to escape where my mind was trying to take me back to but for the most part, I am able to just go on sleeping and dreaming along. I dream pretty much nonstop though but I accomplish so much in my dreams that it is not a bad thing for me. I believe if you are an 'open' kind of person that your dreams become an extension of your day-to-day existence and you can use the 'down time' to work on things and/or solve things that are perhaps bugging you. Of course I may just be crazy so there ya go!
If being able to actively use your dreams is crazy, then I think most people would prefer to be called batsh-- anyday :)
Thank you for such a well written, interesting hub.
My son when aged about 7 yrs would suddenly appear in the sitting room long after bedtime and seem to be awake.His pupils, though were enormous.! Creepy isn´t the word. He´d look straight through me.
I used to try to speak gently and guide him back to bed which sometimes worked well. Other times he´d start screaming , stamping his feet, still staring and obviously not awake. We never got to the cause of it. He just grew out of it.(At least I don´t think it happens anymore. Maybe I should ask his fiance.!!!)
love your work. thank you, Dim x
From about six years old until I was twenty, I remembered suffering from Pavor Nocturnus having researched various symptoms and trends that they encompass. I was interested in the varying stages of sleep and how night terrors factored into this, hoping to find a “way out”. In a standard dream, we are both mentally and physically asleep, be this a good or bad dream, it makes no difference. When experiencing a night terror, an individual was mentally asleep, but physically awake. And that is the important difference. It seemed logical to me to reverse this state by being mentally awake when physically asleep. Some of you might know this as ‘lucid dreaming’, whereby one realises they are dreaming and remains asleep without losing consciousness.
I don’t want to use the word ‘breakthrough’, but in the two years in which I have been lucid dreaming at an advanced level, I haven’t had a single night terror, and before that when I was learning and practicing the various techniques for inducing lucidity, I noted a significant drop in the number of night terrors I experienced.
-W
William, that's fascinating. Do you, offhand, know where I could learn more about lucid dreaming?
The following website answers many questions about it:
http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html
or searching for "lucid dreaming" on amazon/google books
or there's wikipedia if u trust it enough(!)
I am in my 30's and I have 3 children that all have had some sort of night terrors. My oldest 14 now, used to sit striaght up and like blankly straight ahead. I didn't always see this just when I awoke to go to rest room in which I had walk past. They progressed to sleep walking/sleeping. I say it like that b/c I would find her sleeping in the strangest places. Places I wondered how she even got to. My middle son now 8 stayed in his crib longer (in hopes to prevent the sleep walking) it didn't. He just started later. And now has very very vivid nightmares, but never awakes in terror, but tells me all about them. I thought both of them got this b/c their father was an avid sleepwalker. But now my youngest 19mths, (and not related to my ex)is haveing night terrors. Awakes at 10 mins til midnight for several nights in a row, then stops for a few days, then back again. He will sometimes sit in bed(crib) and scream, but mostly just lays there screaming. I would not decribe it as a cry really, just a scream. Last 5 minutes top. Up to that point you wont here a peep out of him, after that he crys out about every hour or so. Hardest on me b/c I dont sleep through them all. But I also dont interupt it. I let it work its course. I have been reading that antihistamines can be a cause. And all three of them have at some point in their lives been on them. Youngest is every night. Going to research that some more. But now I am starting to wonder about me passing it on, I do, not often, but have the "dream" that I am paralized. Nothing happening, but can move at all. All so crazy to me.
I'm not sure if what I had myself was a night terror, but I want to know more. I'm 17, and this happened to me last night. About 4 am-ish, I woke up suddenly, and my eyes started spazzing out. I felt like I was going in and out of dream state whenever I blinked. I felt sick and had a headache, and was very scared. I was breathing really hard too. It took me a couple minutes to calm myself down. (Its easy to calm myself down, I have Panic Anxiety Disorder, so I get alot of panic attacks). But afterwards I was scared and turned on the light. After awhile I fell back asleep. I vaguelly remember something about mountains when I was going in between dream state and seeign my bedroom. I'v also been having more nightmares recently. Which is extremely odd, considering I never have nightmares (only a couple per year) Eventually I feel asleep. And all today I felt nervous.
This site has a lot of good information. Check it out if you get the chance. http://www.nightterrors.org/
I was diagnosed with Night Terrors when i was little & everyones episodes can be different. I could not sleep anywhere but my own home because you never know when the next one will be. I've read a lot of articles where people say that you can't remember night terrors, well they must not of experienced it themselves. I still can recall one particular dream i had before every terror & i even had the dream when i got older.. followed by the terror episodes. If i can give one piece of advice to familys out there it would be DO NOT approach anyone who is in this sleep state. As awake as they might look.. they are not & it is very scary. My family used to come running in the room & sit on my bed & i thought they were going to kill me. It's so hard to explain but i didn't recognize them at all. The flashy out of body experiences were the worst. If you're child is young i suggest just moving them to the floor then keeping your distance (so they do not fall trying to escape).
Ive been having Night terrors recently again for the first time since i was a young kid. Im 14 now and have been having them for like a year now. I know they arnt nightmares because i hardly ever remember them and people have caught me sleep-walking with my eyes darting around and they say a look of horror on my face. The only thing i ever remember is something standing over me watching me and grinning. I wanna say its a darkish figure with a like a reddish striped face but i cant trust myself on it. To me it resembles a demon but i highly doubt it. Im terrified with demons though as my family has had a pretty rough expierance with paranormal activity... The only thing i can think of is genetics as my mom had very strange things happen to her as a child and my father whom i havent been in contact with because he just got out of prison ive yet to question. I wonder if it could be self-induced from any type of trauma or events or anything. Another thing: My mom has told me stories about things shes expieranced and i dream about them later for a bout 2 weeks every night - Except every night its becomes a little bit more distorted and frightening. Any help here please?
Jon, use the link below my avatar picture that says "Contact Jarn" and we can talk privately.
Im so glad that i've discovered this site and have finally got some answers and reassurance about my "experiences",I've suffered with night terrors and hallucinatory sleep disorder since i was a toddler,i'm now 32 and it has had a huge impact on my life,i will avoid staying over anywhere or even allow anyone sleep beside me for fear it will happen,my 12 year old daughter (who suffers with sleep paralysis)has on a few occasions been woken up by me having a night terror,it terrifys her and when she wakes me up,gently,i get scared even more and then we both end up screaming like lunatics,what the neighbours must think!!!!.The hallucinations can be very frightening as often it's people i see, different every time and people i dont know,will be right beside my bed,sometimes up close to my face but always with a scary and eerie feeling attached to them ,i have learned to live with this horrible disorder but i would so love not to have it and be able to sleep normally without the dread of having this happen.For the whole day after a night terror i feel like im just not with it and extremely tired,scared and very anxious,does anyone else feel that afterwards???,the only way i can describe what i feel is sheer terror,i also remember everything i do while in this state and while im running down the stairs or running out of my room,to get to safety(in my head),im aware of what im doing(feels like im awake) but have no control, then all of a sudden i will snap out of it and realise what just happened and then feel the terror for most of the night!! and on a few occasions my night terrors have brought on panic attacks!!!!Is this just something i will have to deal with for the rest of my life????
I used to have terrors of something/someone standing over me or sometimes pushing down on my chest! I was at the end of my teather after years of suffering when someone- an ex terror sufferer- told me to write a note to the "thing" standing over me asking it to politley go away and leace it on my bedside table! And im not lying, it worked, no more terrors, give it a go, what have you got to lose!
My daughter broke out in hives at daycare. I called the pediatrician who recommended almost twice the amount of the dosage on the bottle of Benadryl. By the time I got to the day care the hives (which were supposedly so bad) were gone. (Also, the benadryl did not cause her to be sleepy nor hyper.)My 2 year old daughter had night terrors for 2 weeks. It was a horrible experience. I asked her doctor whether she had reports of benadryl causing night terrors. She claimed that she did not.
I will never try benadryl with my daughter.
My night terrors- when I was five, I dreamed that the bed started floating up near the ceiling and that an angry god or God was about to judge me for the sins I had committed.
Demonic voices telling me that extremists would overtake Europe within my lifetime and declare war on America, will all the armies of Europe marching against us.
Not much of a night terror, more so a night cause for concern but one night I saw four red computers near the foot of my bed that were not there before. I was afraid that the red computers held the names of people who had died that day in America.
And that was when I was given many stuffed animals to keep me company at night time and I still hold them close so that the night terrors never return.
I'm twenty-six and ever since I was little I had night terrors/nightmares. I don't get the two confused because I can tell the difference. When I have a nightmare it is just that, just a horrible dream, but when I have a night terror it is like a horrible entity is with me even when I wake, I'll lay in bed afraid to move when the fear starts to die down I turn on the light, it seems to help. In fact when I sleep with a light on I just seem to have nightmares or I won't dream at all. After awhile when I was young I started to sleep during the day, and I wouldn't have nightmares or night terrors, but you can't keep that up as you grow older. I know it says that many can't remember their dreams but I do, I can even remember ones from when I was young and truthfully I have very vivid ones where I can go into full detail. I have tried treatments but they don't seem to help expect that one, dream manipulation but even sometimes that doesn't work. Now when I go to bed it has to be late, I find if I sleep any earlier than 4am then I will have a night terror but if I sleep after that time it will be just a nightmare. If I keep to certain methods I can hold off for a while on a night terror. I'm just happy that I don't have them everyday like when I was young. It is a horrible experience, I feel sorry for anyone who has to go through it, I know what they go through. I can say I ended up an insomniac because of it. It is hard to treat but having someone to talk to after it happens always helps, whether it is hours later or right after it happens. I try to talk to someone right after it helps deplete the heavy doom feeling off my chest. The reasons I have mine the doctors say when I was little was because of pts disorder and as I got older it was because of sleep breathing disorder.
I suffered from night terrors up to 3 times a week from as young as I can remember till I was about 12 or 13 when, like most cases, they just eventually stopped happening. I am now 23 and just last night had what felt like the worst night terror I have ever had. As it was when I was young I was awake during the entire episode and there was no point that I felt like I "woke up" after it. I woke up and it happened and as far as I knew I was already awake and didn't go back to sleep. Just lay awake terrified for about 2 hours. All the night terrors I have experienced are as vivid and real to me as the person beside me right now and I remember every detail even from when I was very young (have no memory from being so young as I slept in a cot but can vividly remember a night terror that happened while I was). As I said though the night terrors just eventually stopped and it has been about 10 years until last night. Is there any reason that it can suddenly resurface in an adult and become a reoccurring incident? I have also never had an out of body experience. I am always me and wide awake throughout it. Thanks for all the info I myself wasn't sure what they were and palmed them off as bad nightmares till I read this site.
I have a 2 year old daughter who has had night terrors since around a year old. From birth to over a year she had severe reflux and would scream and cry all hours of the night and wasn't ever a good sleeper. The night terros are getting worse and my husband and I sleep with her just to get any sleep. We wake to her screaming bloody murder, running to the wall and banging her head, throwing her self back, trying to scratch my face, pull my hair and bang me with her head if I try to restrain her from hurting herself. It's a crazy way to wake up and she can't be soothed or reasoned with when she is like this. It is really scary for my husband and I to watch and it's really starting to stress me out and depress me to see my little girl doing this to herself. She also is banging her head against the walls, floors, glass etc. during a tantrum. My husband and I joke that she acts like she is possesed, but sometimes I wonder! It's funny that I'm reading some who have had terrors on here describe a being over them watching them sleep, almost like a demon because my husband described that happening to him once in a dream & we at one time thought our old place was haunted. Is there a relation between terrors and demons? Could you please contact me and let me know? Thanks
While I accept that such things as demons exist,I haven't the faintest idea in what capacity. But children under the age of 5 banging their heads during tantrums and while sleeping is an actual sleep disorder which you may wish to take your daughter to your pediatrician if you haven't already.
It can also be indicative of epilepsy. So, before you start considering more esoteric possibilities, you may wish to look into medical causes.
I am 14 now. I have them and they are so horrible. I hate it. When I was little I'd wake up but not really. My eyes were open but I could still see them. I'm so afraid to go to sleep. I'm afraid one day I'll wake up and the man will be there for real. I'm an artist and I draw my nightmares. Sometimes the pictures are so horrible I crumple them up and tear them apart. My mom only knows because she dealt with me when I was little she thinks I've grown out of it.
My 4 year old daughter has every symtom when she is sleeping. It worries me and confuses me why she would have these. It's been going on now for a year maybe year and half. Started giving her melitonin, sometimes she does great, other times it seems worse. She has a well child check coming up in April, going to discuss with doc. Do you have any suggestions?
None beyond making sure the doctor knows all her symptoms and how distressing it is, I'm afraid.
I have had night encounters since i was 14 now 48.They still occur but not that much.They use to shake me up, now i roll over and go back to sleep.I too can see them for for a few seconds after i open my eyes. They usually drift through the wall.I"ve even woken my wife up quick enough to see a streak of light.The demonic beings you see are liars they can't hurt you but can scare you if you let them.I can be in middle a nice dream and sense their presence.I use to struggle with them now that i am a christian i over power them in that place. Now they occasionally will jump at me and i say whatever. I'am a healthy person i have good life and a lot of stories i just thought i would share thanks
Hello, first i would to talk a little about me, i'm an engineer in an automotive factory, i'm 27 and i live in mexico. Getting to the subject, i have had since i was little nightmares while sleepwalking or put into other words, nightmares while awake, in my case i don't ussually see frigtening things while that happens, the thing is, it's that things as common as a door, floor tiles or even windows become an object of fear and who posted this thread is true for my case, your brain or mind overlays things on your environment, i once woke up and saw aloe plants growing on the floor, all of the same size, simetry and evenly distributed across the entire bedroom floor. Now over the years i have gained more control over myself while this happens, my episodes now last between 1 ~ 2 min before i realize it is just a dream, and now i'm able to remember what happened most of the time, now some advice for the other out there like me, something that has worked i don't know if it is because of my mind or it is universal, but when i have awake nightmares that are very intense i run to turn up the lights i don't know if everyone is able to do this, but this works for me everytime, it's like shutting down the illusion created by the mind, of course it hasn't always been like this, while sleep walking i drove my car to buy cigars, when i was little i walked to my secondary school and when i was in college i just stood all the night in the backyard until i woke up on my own. I know it is not easy to live like this, i have scared the shit out of my girlfriend more than once, of course she laughs the next day about it but on the inside i still believe she is a little afraid of what i might do while sleeping. Anyway if anyone would like to exchange experiences for whatever that might work i'm up for it. Take care everyone.
Ivorwen Level 1 Commenter 2 years ago
After reading this, I think my three year old is having some sort of night terrors. They are more than nightmares, and he really doesn't remember them, but it is almost impossible to wake him up. Praying over him makes the most difference.