About 6% of children experience night terrors. Their symptoms are similar to those described
below. Almost all children outgrow the
propensity by adolescence. When adults
have night terrors, it’s considered to be a sleep disorder and a very
unpleasant one at that.
Dear SMYD,
My husband has the worst nightmares of anyone I’ve
ever heard of. He wakes up
screaming! Once our neighbors even heard
him it was so loud!
He doesn’t seem to have any trouble falling asleep,
but several times a month he bolts upright in the bed, sweating and his heart
is racing. Mostly he yells, “NO! No!”
But other times I can’t understand what he’s saying. It’s scary to me!
Sometimes he thrashes around like he’s running in
his sleep. I’ve had to duck to keep from
getting hit more than once. One time he
stood up on the edge of the bed and I thought he was going to run out of the
room.
When this happens, it takes a while for him to even
recognize me. He won’t talk to me or
answer my questions. No matter how hard
I try to tell him everything’s going to be OK, he’s inconsolable.
Then he kind of snaps out of it and says he doesn’t
remember anything except trying to get away from something or someone who was
going to kill him.
We’re both afraid to fall asleep! What should we do?
Signed,
Afraid to Sleep with My Husband!
Dear Afraid,
You have described the classic symptoms not of
nightmares, but ‘night terrors.’
Many parents have rushed to their child’s bedside in
the dark of night after hearing the screams of night terrors. Most children will fall back to sleep after
being assured that mom or dad is close by to protect them. Next morning, most kids have no recall of the
events of the night before. Thank
goodness, young ones typically outgrow the night terrors.
Only 1 to 3% of adults experience night terrors. In adults they are considered a sleep
disorder. They do not occur during REM
(Rapid Eye Movement) sleep associated with the dream state where a ‘normal’
nightmare might occur. Just as you’ve
described, the details of what was terrorizing the sleeper are rarely recalled. In more extreme cases, sleep walking and more
dangerous activities have been reported – using kitchen appliances, leaving the
house and even driving a car!
Your husband might try a before-bed snack as some
research indicates that those experiencing night terrors may be
hypoglycemic. It’s uncertain how low
blood sugar might be contributing to the terrors, but it’s worth trying as the
correlation is documented.
Also, some have experienced success in breaking the
cycle of night terrors by waking themselves up a few minutes before they
typically fall victim to the distressful event.
So, if he usually starts screaming at 2AM, set the alarm for 1:45, Dear
Dreamer.
If the night terrors continue, it’s time to visit
the doctor. Some medications have been
effective in treating this disorder.
Sweet Dreams to You!
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