Night Terrors And Sleep Nightmares

No one knows exactly what parasomnias are, and unfortunately, no one knows exactly what causes them, either. In one study I read, it was suggested that these occurrences are related to a delayed maturation of the central nervous system (Fleiss 30). This was the only reading that I saw this in. However, it has been discovered that parasomnias have a genetic link – they run in families. For example, if your child has night terrors, it is very likely that someone else in your family had either night terrors or some other form of parasomnia (confusional arousals, sleepwalking or sleep talking) (Mindell 263). Also, they appear to be developmental, with children seeming to experience them at certain ages. There are other possible contributing factors as well, which I will list here:

2. Like to keep liked objects like their toys near while sleeping and lights are kept on

As stated in a previous statistic, sleep disorders unfortunately target a wide variety of ages. Children are commonly affected by Sleep Apnea, teeth grinding, Night Terrors, Nightmares, sleep walking, Restless Leg Syndrome, bedwetting, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Adults tend to be affected by Insomnia, Hypersomnia, Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Sleep Paralysis, Hypopnea Syndrome, and Noctoria. Sleep disorders are very common and also very dangerous in some circumstances. Ill treating or ignoring sleep disorders can lead to lethargy, poor mood, lack of motivation, and may negatively impact

Night terrors are a type of parasomnia, that cause screaming, intense fear, and flailing, while still asleep. These episodes are most common but not limited to children between ages of four to twelve, for they can also still occur in adults. Mostly children are affected by this parasomnia, but only three to six percent of them have these night terrors, and the percentage of occurrences in adults are lower. Some studies show that there are some variables, such as tiredness, or drugs, may cause a development of these disturbances during sleep. While most will grow out of their sleep terrors, some may not, and must find different ways to control or reduce their chances of having night terrors. Usually, night terrors are not normally due to psychiatric disorders, so with that in mind, it is logical to assume that they are often triggered by certain environmental factors.

The US National Library of Medicine defines a nightmare as, “a bad dream that brings out strong feelings of fear, terror, distress, or anxiety.” A dream, then, is a series of thoughts or images that happen during the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Research has shown that the biggest amount of common adult dreams are in a category known as “pseudonightmarish” dreams, which is essentially any dream of being in trouble or in danger, being alone and/or trapped, something you don’t have control over (like losing your teeth), or facing natural forces.

Sleep paralysis is a common condition with a prevalence of 5-62%, although most affected people have single or infrequent episodes (Dahlitz). Occasionally sleep paralysis is found to run in a family, and it can be associated with other disorders of hypersomnia, such as sleep apnea (Becker 81). Narcolepsy has also been linked with sleep paralysis; both are thought to be REM sleep disorders (Siegel). Gender and race do not seem to be a factor of risk for this disorder. The episodes of sleep paralysis seem to range from ages 5-35 (Dahlitz). The use of anxiolytic medicines, psychiatric disorders and high anxiety can also contribute to sleep paralysis (Larkin).

They used twenty-eight female and male participants, some with frequent others with less frequent nightmares. All participants were screened for any mental or psychological disorders. In the study, participants would have a nap, complete a task, and fill out questions on the state of their dreams and experiences. The participants would also nap for longer and then be awakened right before they entered into REM sleep. Then the participant would once again answer questions and write about their dream experiences. The questionnaire contained questioned related to the state of their dream, stress levels, nightmare frequency, etc. The participants also slept in rooms with continuous surveillance and with a polysomnography. The participants were tested on their dream and daydreaming conditions with similar procedures that were previously

The sleep cycle is often the first symptom to pre-schizophrenia. "Infants were reported to ‘sleep almost constantly' during the first few months, yet by the age of six months, they refuse to sleep at all". (Cantor, 1988) Severe nightmares are very common in the first two years of life, where the child is unable to be awoken, or the child wakes spontaneously, vomits, and falls back asleep. (Cantor, ‘88) By the time the child is three or four, serious sleep disorders begin to develop. "The child just can't fall asleep, and it seems like they just can't relax". (Cantor, ‘88) These children are more likely to sleep walk, and have no fear in doing anything while in this state. "Both sleep behavior and understanding of danger improve as the child matures; in fact, schizophrenic children become cautious and fearful as the awareness of their alien world

I went to bed as usual that night it was dark and windy outside I fell asleep

Night waking: the child wakes at night and cannot return to sleep unless particular conditions are met. Typically, this

Night terrors affect many children in their early years. Unfortunately, it is a topic that is not addressed as a key cause of behavior and educational challenges throughout education. This first journal that is titled, Just a Scary Dream? A Brief Review of Sleep Terrors, Nightmares, and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder, helps describe what night terrors really are. According to Haupt, M., Sheldon, S., and Loghmanee, D.,

Parasomnia refers to a wide variety of disruptive, sleep-related events or, "disorders of arousal." These behaviors and experiences occur usually while sleeping, and most are often infrequent and mild. They may however happen often enough to become so bothersome that medical attention should be sought out. "Parasomnias are disorders characterized by abnormal behavior or physiological events occurring in association with sleep stages, or sleep-wake transitions."(DSM pg. 435)

Night terrors can seem to be nightmares, but occur during NREM-3 sleep, which is a stage of sleep when you are hard to waken. Originally I considered my childhood nightmares night terrors, but unlike night terrors I could easily wake myself up and never talked or walked around during an episode. Sleep walking can sometimes be linked to night terrors, but are also they're own separate disorder. Within the NREM-3 a person can be prone to sleepwalking, especially if it runs in the family. I personally have been in

Things that pop and crack populate the house. Hearing sounds in the middle of the night that send chills down my spine. A sense of alertness occurs when standing there frozen, waiting, and thinking, “What could it be?” Waiting for the next noise or ignition of thought that makes the heart beat a little faster and breathe slower to limit the noises made in the darkness. When the lights go out you ultimately assume the worst scenarios for example a burglar, paranormal activities, or critters in the night. Even the tick tock of the clock seems like a loud bass drum in the vicinity of catching another sound to reassure that the noise was not something or someone. I often ask myself “Why me?” questioning why I have these fears. I remember how watching horror movies generated fear even at the young age of eight. Movies such as Puppet Master, IT, and Children of the Corn come to mind as well as the infamous Chucky movies. In those movies only bad things happened at night.

Night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking are all cases that fall into sleep disorders called parasomnias. Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that can occur during arousal from either rapid eye movement or even non-rapid eye movement. Children from the age’s four to twelve of ages experience night terrors.