Sleep Disorders: Night Terrors

Night terrors in children are distinctly different from the much more common nightmares. Night terror symptoms are frequent and recurrent episodes of intense crying and fear during sleep, with difficulty arousing the child.

Night terrors typically occur in children aged 3 to 12 years.

Who Gets Night Terrors?

An estimated 1% to 6% of children experience night terrors. The disorder usually resolves during adolescence.

What Causes Night Terrors?

Night terrors may be caused by:

• Stressful life events
• Fever
• Sleep deprivation
• Medications that affect the brain

What Are the Symptoms of Night Terrors?

In addition to frequent, recurrent episodes of intense crying and fear during sleep, with difficulty arousing the child, children with night terrors may also experience:

• Increased heart rate
• Increased breathing rate
• Sweating

Unlike nightmares, most children do not recall a dream after a night terror episode, and they usually do not remember the episode the next morning.

What Happens During the Night Terror?

A typical night terror episode usually begins approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. The child sits up in bed and screams, appearing awake but is confused, disoriented, and unresponsive to stimuli. Although the child seems to be awake, the child does not seem to be aware of the parents' presence and usually does not talk. The child may thrash around in bed and does not respond to comforting by the parents.

Most episodes last only a few minutes, but they may last up to 30 minutes before the child relaxes and returns to normal sleep.