Tortuga wrote:
Night terror happens when you suddenly get terrified about 10 to 15 minutes after you go to sleep for the night. I haven't had one night terror since becoming a parent. When I did have them, I would wake up screaming and I remembered exactly what the dream was. As soon as I openned my eyes, I was not at all scared any more and would go right back to sleep.
My son has had random instances of night terror. I say he had a night terror if he wakes up screaming 10 or 15 minutes after he's put to bed. I walk in there, he looks at me unphased even though he was just screaming, and then he rolls over and goes back to sleep without any further problems. He doesn't remember the dreams.
If they are associated with dreams and you can remember the episode they are not true night terrors. Night terrors occur during deep (stage 3 or 4) sleep and they do not wake you up fully. Your son, on the other hand, was having true night terrors.
Night TerrorQuote:
A night terror, also known as pavor nocturnus, is a parasomnia sleep disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The subject wakes abruptly from slow-wave sleep, with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming. It is often impossible to fully awaken the person, and after the episode the subject normally settles back to sleep without waking. A night terror can rarely be recalled by the subject. They typically occur during non-rapid eye movement sleep.
Night terrors versus nightmares
Night terrors are distinct from nightmares in several key ways. First, the subject is not fully awake when roused, and even when efforts are made to awaken the sleeper, he/she may continue to experience the night terror for ten to twenty minutes. Unlike nightmares, which occur during REM sleep, night terrors occur during slow-wave sleep, the deepest level of NREM sleep. Even if awakened, the subject often cannot remember the episode except for a sense of panic, while nightmares usually can be easily recalled.
Unlike nightmares, which are frequently dreams of a frightening nature, night terrors are not dreams. Usually there is no situation or event (scary or otherwise) that is dreamt, but rather the emotion of fear itself is felt. Often, this is coupled with tension and apprehension without any distinct sounds or visual imagery, although sometimes a vague object of fear is identified by the sufferer. These emotions, generally without a focusing event or scenario, increase emotions in a cumulative effect. The lack of a dream itself leaves those awakened from a night terror in a state of disorientation much more severe than that caused by a normal nightmare. This can include a short period of amnesia during which the subjects may be unable to recall their names, locations, ages, or any other identifying features of themselves.
21 Mar 2008, 2:58 pm
