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You wake up screaming at the top of your voice, using all the air in your lungs, horror registered in your face, pupils dilated, your whole body drenched in sweat. You kick around furiously with your feet at thin air. This happens for minutes and then you calm down and go back to sleep like nothing happened.

The next morning, your brother taps you and says : "That ought'a be a really bad dream you had last night". You look bewildered; "What do you mean" ? You ask him. Then he goes on and on narrating last night's experience. It sounds scary to you. The fact that you didn't even have any idea or memory of having a dream talk less of a nightmare.

That's the typical experience of a person who suffers from night terrors.

WHAT ARE NIGHT TERRORS ?

According to Wikipedia Night terror

Night terror , also known as sleep terror , is a sleep disorder , causing feelings of terror or dread, and typically occurs during the first hours of stage 3-4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Sleep terrors begin in children between the ages of 3 and 12, and usually stop during adolescence. In adults, they most commonly occur between the ages of 20 to 30. Though the frequency and severity vary between individuals, the episodes can occur in intervals of days or weeks, but can also occur over consecutive nights or multiple times in one night. This has created a situation in which any type of nocturnal attack or nightmare may be confused with and reported as a night terror.

Night terrors are actually nocturnal fearful episodes that individuals experience during sleep. Individuals scream and shout and move their limbs uncontrollably and in an energetic way which could lead to injuries.

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Episodes are sometimes accompanied by sleep walking. It tends to happen most in children and reduces with age. Adults as well experience it too but very few. They occur in the first few hours of non REM sleep.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT NIGHT TERRORS

1. Sleep terrors happen in 1-6% of kids between 4 and 12 years old
2. It is more common in boys.
3. Adults experience them too.
4. It can happen during the day and naps.
5. They are different from nightmares.
6. Individuals experiencing terrors deal with embarrassment over their episodes.
7. It is hard to wake individuals up during episodes.
8. Noise or certain sounds as a door closing could trigger an episode.
9. Night terrors could last 10-20 minutes

Signs and symptoms of night terrors

• Yelling/screaming/shouting
• Faster breathing/heart beat
• Dilated pupils
• Sitting up abruptly in sleep
• Sleepwalking
• Uncontrolled limb movement
• Wide eyed but not awake
• Unresponsive to stimuli
• No memory of episodes.

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Causes of night terrors

Night terrors are primarily caused by the over arousal of the body's central nervous system when sleeping. There are different states of sleep : Non REM and REM stages

In the non REM sleep there are one to four stages

Stage 1

This is the light sleep stage where your drift in and out of sleep and can wake up easily.

Stage 2

Here, eye movement totally stops, the brain signals slow down and occasional bursts of rapid brain waves occur. Temperature and heart rate drops.

Stage 3

Here, delta waves are scattered among the smaller faster waves in the brain. Delta waves are very slow brain waves. This stage it's termed "Deep sleep". During this stage all manner of parasomnias occur to an individual
Parasomnias are are abnormal behaviors occurring during transition between sleep stages.

Stage 4

Here, the deep sleep still goes in and exclusive delta waves are produced by the brain.
Night terrors like other Parasomnias occur in the 3rd stage of non REM sleep and during this stage it is really hard to wake an individual up, which explains why an individual experiencing sleep terrors can't be aroused from that state.

Some factors cause sleep terrors. They include :

1. Genetic/congenital factors : It has been observed that some cases of sleep terror tend to be congenital. Meaning they are inherited from birth. Individuals experiencing terrors have reported past family members also haha episodes of sleep terror.
2. Fever : This is a very common cause of sleep terror in children. Studies have shown that the occurence of night terrors in children having fevers are worse.
3.Sleep deprivation /Bad sleeping habits
4.Noise
5.Stress
6.Use/Abuse of medications and drugs

Diagnosis

During diagnosis, the doctor asks family members about any signs of the terrors to ascertain If the person is really having night terrors.
A sleep study or polysomnography could be conducted. This simply means the patient spends his night in a sleep laboratory where various measurements will be taken during sleep.
Measurements include

• Brainwaves
• Heart rate
• Breathing
• Limb movements
• Oxygen levels
  Also there is a diagnostic criteria for sleep terror disorder termed "DSM-IV-TR" and the Wikipedia lists the criteria. It requires :

• Recurrent periods where the individual abruptly wakes from sleeping with a scream
• The individual experiences intense fear and symptoms of autonomic arousal, such as increased heart rate, heavy breathing, and increased perspiration
• The individual cannot be soothed or comforted during the episode
• The individual is unable to remember details of the dream or details of the episode
• The occurrence of the sleep terror episode causes clinically significant distress or impairment in the individual's functioning
• The disturbance is not due to the effects of a substance or general medical condition

TREATMENT

in most cases, individuals tend to have lesser and lesser episodes of sleep terrors as they grow until they are completely free of them. Hence no need for treatment or medications. In some cases, the episodes extend into adulthood and raise causes for concern. Sometimes they might be affiliated with adult individuals having a history of bipolar disorder, depression , anxiety and Post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) or mental health problems
In these cases, it would be advisable to see a doctor who would then recommend if to meet a sleep specialist or not.
Here's a list of some remedies and tips for sleep terror.

1. Have enough rest and adopt a regular sleeping pattern
2. Avoid staying up too late
3. Identify sources of stress you might encounter and find ways to relieve them.
4. Have a safe sleeping environment to prevent injuries

Finally, studies have shown night terrors are nothing to be afraid of, except in cases where it is accompanied by sleepwalking and individuals can walk into objects and cause harm to themselves.

It is a condition that can be outgrown and in cases where they continue into adulthood, a visit to a medical specialist will do a whole lot of good

References

• Night terror - Wikipedia
• Night terrors - kids health.org
• Night terrors: causes, symptoms and treatment
• Stages of Sleep and Sleep Cycles
• Parasomnias
• Nightmares and night terrors
• Sleep terrors : Diagnostic and treatment
• Can night terrors happen during the day or naps