What Are Night Terrors?

Night terrors are common in children and are marked by intense fear during sleep. While distressing, night terrors are rarely serious.

January 17, 2025 · 10 min · 1941 words · Daniel Johns

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Night Terrors?SymptomsDiagnosisCausesNight Terrors vs. NightmaresTreatmentCopingHow Parents Can Help Kids

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Are Night Terrors?

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Causes

Night Terrors vs. Nightmares

Treatment

Coping

How Parents Can Help Kids

Close

During a night terror, a person may yell,scream, thrash, or show other signs of fear. These episodes may last for several minutes, but people usually do not fully awaken.

Night terrors often last between one to 10 minutes, but can last longer.They also tend to occur most frequently at night and not during daytime napping. While they can be very upsetting for the person who experiences the night terror as well as family members who witness such episodes, they are usually considered relatively benign.

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Signs of a night terror can include:

Night terrors are a type of non-rapid eye movement sleep arousal disorder in which a person who is sleeping appears to wake in a terrified state. A person’s eyes may be open, they may cry out or scream, and make agitated or aggressive movements.

While a person might appear to be awake, they will be confused and not able to communicate with others. Just as people often do not remember their dreams once they wake up, people usually do not have any memory of these night terror episodes.

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Difficult to Diagnose

Night terrors can be difficult to diagnose for a number of reasons, particularly when it comes to receiving a diagnosis as an adult for two main reasons:

Night terrors can come and go and tend to occur irregularly.People rarely remember having them. In some cases, you may only know that you are experiencing if someone else happens to witness a night terror.

If there is a reason to suspect that you might be having night terrors, your doctor may perform a physical exam, ask you a number of different questions, and ask you or a loved one to keep a sleep diary.

Exams and Lab Tests

In addition to a physical exam, lab tests may be performed to help rule out any potential medical conditions that might be causing or contributing to your symptoms.

Your doctor may also order other tests if health problems or a sleep disorder are suspected. Such tests might include a sleep study (polysomnography) or an electroencephalogram (EEG) to look at electrical activity in the brain.

Your doctor will also ask you a number of questions. For example, you might be asked:

In order to diagnose sleep terrors, your doctor will have to rule out any other medical causes or sleep disorders.

Night terrors most commonly occur as people move from one stage of sleep to the next. During this time, they may awaken slightly, which may contribute to the arousal that is seen during a night terror.

The exact causes of night terrors are not known, although there is evidence that the condition tends to run in families, although further research is needed to better understand possible genetic links.

Some factors may increase the risk of night terrors in adults. These factors include:

Research also suggests that children and teens who experience night terrors are also more likely to report experiencing migraine headaches.

In one study looking at kids between the ages of 10 and 19, those who experienced sleep terrors were significantly more likely to experience either episodic or chronic migraines.

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Prevalence

Night terrors typically begin during early childhood and usually resolve on their own as children age, although some adults may continue to experience sleep terrors.

Night terrors are not uncommon in children between the ages of four and 12. Night terrors affect approximately 2% to 7% of children and tend to occur most frequently between the ages of four and seven.

The condition is also believed to occur in approximately 3% of adults, although exact numbers are difficult to estimate since many people do not remember these episodes after waking. Sleep terrors in adults often seem similar to the experience of a daytime panic attack.

Badnightmaresmay sometimes seem similar to a night terror, but there are differences between the two. Some of these key differences include:

Nightmares can occur during any stage of sleep, including REM sleep. Night terrors, on the other hand, only occur during NREM sleep.

While night terrors can be distressing, they usually resolve on their own without intervention and have no lasting effects. However, there might be times when it is appropriate to seek treatment:

Some approaches that might be recommended as treatment for sleep terrors include one or a combination of the following options.

Psychotherapy

Approaches such ascognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)may be helpful for improving sleep hygiene. While the available research is limited, some evidence suggests that psychotherapy may be helpful for reducing or eliminating night terrors in children and adults.

Stress Management

Because people are more likely to experience night terrors when they are overstressed, a therapy that addresses stress may be helpful. Relaxation therapy may help reduce symptoms, but other techniques such ashypnosisorbiofeedbackmight also be recommended.

Treating Other Conditions

If there are any related conditions that may be contributing to night terrors, treating these underlying disorders may be beneficial. Depression, anxiety, and other sleep disorders may also play a role in contributing to night terrors, so seeking treatment for those other conditions may help reduce or eliminate night terror symptoms.

Medications

There is no medication specifically indicated for night terrors, but sometimes certain prescription drugs may be helpful. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications may be helpful in some cases.

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There are also things that you can do that may help manage night terrors. Treatments for night terrors are often centered on improving sleep hygiene and reducing stress, so positive changes in your daily habits may help reduce or even eliminate symptoms of this condition.

Some steps you can take to cope with night terrors:

Establish Good Sleep Habits

Sleep deprivation and fatigue can increase the likelihood of experiencing a sleep terror, so getting on a regular sleep schedule can help improve the quality and amount of sleep that you are getting.

Use Relaxation Strategies

Because stress can increase the risk of having a night terror, finding ways to get your stress levels under control can be an effective self-help strategy. This might involve identifying sources of stress and then finding ways to relax, whether that involves something like yoga, massage, deep breathing, or meditation.

It can sometimes be difficult for kids to identify or articulate their worries, so focus on making sure that your child has plenty of reassurance, support, and opportunity to talk about their concerns.

Try Scheduled Wakening

Look for patterns and try to notice if night terrors occur around the same time each night. If you spot any discernible patterns, you can try a technique that relies on waking someone up at a scheduled time each night.

You can have your partner wake you or set an alarm to rouse you from sleep. Parents can try waking their child briefly at a specific time before night terrors typically occur, usually around 10 to 15 minutes before the sleep terrors usually take place.

Research has shown that this approach can significantly reduce or even completely eliminate sleep terrors. While scheduled wakening is considered low-risk, it may be difficult to use if the individual or if other members of the household are struggling with sleep deprivation.

If your child is experiencing night terrors, there are a number of steps you can take to help:Don’t try to interrupt the sleep terror.While it can be distressing, trying to awaken your child in the middle of a disturbance can actually make the night terror last longer.Make sure your child’s sleep environment is safe and comfortable.Remove any sharp, hard, or dangerous objects from their immediate environment. Try surrounding your child with soft pillows or blankets to prevent cuts or bruises if they thrash or kick during an episode.Close and lock windows.Some children may get out of bed and move around during a night terror.Lock doors securely.Because some kids may sleepwalk during a night terror, it is also possible that they might open doors and wander outside of the house. Make sure your doors are locked each night.You may find it helpful to put an alarm on your child’s bedroom door, windows, or any outside doors.

If your child is experiencing night terrors, there are a number of steps you can take to help:

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7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Van Horn NL, Street M.Night Terrors. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (5th Edition). Washington, DC.;2013.Fialho LM, Pinho RS, Lin J, et al.Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2013;71(2):83-86. doi:10.1590/s0004-282x2013005000006Cleveland Clinic.Nightmares in children.Linton, S.J. (2013).A cognitive-behavioral treatment package for sleep terrors: a case study. The Open Sleep Journal. 6. 8-11.Galbiati A, Rinaldi F, Giora E, Ferini-Strambi L, Marelli S.Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments of parasomnias.Behav Neurol. 2015;2015:786928. doi:10.1155/2015/786928Cleveland Clinic.Are night terrors disturbing your child’s sleep? Tips for parents.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Van Horn NL, Street M.Night Terrors. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (5th Edition). Washington, DC.;2013.Fialho LM, Pinho RS, Lin J, et al.Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2013;71(2):83-86. doi:10.1590/s0004-282x2013005000006Cleveland Clinic.Nightmares in children.Linton, S.J. (2013).A cognitive-behavioral treatment package for sleep terrors: a case study. The Open Sleep Journal. 6. 8-11.Galbiati A, Rinaldi F, Giora E, Ferini-Strambi L, Marelli S.Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments of parasomnias.Behav Neurol. 2015;2015:786928. doi:10.1155/2015/786928Cleveland Clinic.Are night terrors disturbing your child’s sleep? Tips for parents.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Van Horn NL, Street M.Night Terrors. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (5th Edition). Washington, DC.;2013.Fialho LM, Pinho RS, Lin J, et al.Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2013;71(2):83-86. doi:10.1590/s0004-282x2013005000006Cleveland Clinic.Nightmares in children.Linton, S.J. (2013).A cognitive-behavioral treatment package for sleep terrors: a case study. The Open Sleep Journal. 6. 8-11.Galbiati A, Rinaldi F, Giora E, Ferini-Strambi L, Marelli S.Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments of parasomnias.Behav Neurol. 2015;2015:786928. doi:10.1155/2015/786928Cleveland Clinic.Are night terrors disturbing your child’s sleep? Tips for parents.

Van Horn NL, Street M.Night Terrors. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (5th Edition). Washington, DC.;2013.

Fialho LM, Pinho RS, Lin J, et al.Sleep terrors antecedent is common in adolescents with migraine.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2013;71(2):83-86. doi:10.1590/s0004-282x2013005000006

Cleveland Clinic.Nightmares in children.

Linton, S.J. (2013).A cognitive-behavioral treatment package for sleep terrors: a case study. The Open Sleep Journal. 6. 8-11.

Galbiati A, Rinaldi F, Giora E, Ferini-Strambi L, Marelli S.Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments of parasomnias.Behav Neurol. 2015;2015:786928. doi:10.1155/2015/786928

Cleveland Clinic.Are night terrors disturbing your child’s sleep? Tips for parents.

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