Growing up, I remember being woken up suddenly in the middle of the night. It was my brother in his bedroom, screaming at the top of his lungs. I have never heard a more piercing and fearful scream in my entire life. This would occur on rare occasions and for a maximum of 2 minutes. Thinking my brother saw an intruder or a creepy animal outside, we would ask him what happened the following day, and he would remember nothing. We would continue asking him if he remembered yelling at the top of his lungs during the night, and he would simply sit there, clueless. But what was my brother experiencing? Why couldn’t he remember it?
My brother, when he was younger, like some children, was experiencing a sleep terror, otherwise known as a night terror. Although I thought night terrors were a rare occurrence in children, more families experience their child having one of these episodes more often than we think. According to the Mayo Clinic, 40% of children experience night terror. As a young adult, I wanted to distinguish the difference between a night terror and a nightmare because when I was younger, I simply thought my brother was experiencing a vivid nightmare he could not recall.
The most significant difference between a nightmare and night terror is when it occurs in the sleep cycle. Humans experience sleep in five different stages where the first four stages are categorized as “Non-REM sleep” and the fifth stage is classified as “REM sleep.” REM stands for rapid eye movement and it is during this phase of sleep that a nightmare occurs. REM sleep is the stage where we dream, therefore experiencing a nightmare during this time makes sense since nightmares are simply terrifying dreams. We typically can remember and recall them as well. Nightmares also occur at all ages, while night terrors usually occur between ages 4 and 12.
In contrast, night terrors happen during the Non-REM sleep stages, and people cannot remember them. Night terrors are also not dreams but are a reaction we have as we transition from the deepest stage of NON-REM to REM sleep. This usually occurs at the same time every night as well. Some people don’t experience this because this transition between these two states is supposed to be smooth; nevertheless, if your child experiences a night terror, it is because this transition is not smooth. Night terrors are also most apparent in children that demonstrate or share the following:
They are sick or exhausted
They are stressed or tired
They are starting a new medication
They are sleeping in an environment they are not familiar with
There are significant differences between night terrors and nightmares, but if you or your child are experiencing them, when should you seek professional help? Mayo Clinic suggests seeing a doctor if the following applies to either you or your child:
The night terrors start happening more often
It affects the person with sleep terrors or other family members’ sleep
Arouses issues around safety or causes injuries
Excessive tiredness during the day
It keeps happening beyond the teen years
The night terrors start in adulthood
Children who experience night terrors usually outgrow this by their teenage years, but here are some tips to lessen the frequency of them happening:
Identify what is causing your child to be stressed and try to diminish it
Create a simple and relaxing bedtime routine
Ensure your child is getting enough sleep by making sure they do not stay up too late
Not letting your child go to bed at different times every night