Nightmares and night terrors
What are nightmares and night terrors?
Nightmares and night terrors are terms that are used interchangeably, but they're actually two completely different things.
Nightmares
Nightmares are something you'll remember from your dream activity and arise out of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Nightmares can mean different things but are not a medical concern unless they begin to affect your function or mental health. If that happens, it's a good idea to contact your primary care provider.
Nightmares can be caused by:
- Stress and anxiety
- Traumatic life events
- Scary stories or TV shows
- Eating late
- Medications
- Lack of sleep
When should you contact your primary care provider?
- If you're waking up frequently and it's often disturbing your sleep
- The dreams trigger fear, anger, or sadness
- You find it difficult to fall back asleep
- It's starting to affect your day-to-day functioning and mental health
Night terrors
Night terrors actually don't have anything to do with dream activity and specifically affect children. They occur during deep sleep, where the child will typically not remember what has happened. They may appear to wake up screaming, shaking, or thrashing about. It may be distressing to see, but isn't anything that will affect the child. You'll want to contact a primary care provider if the situation is frequent and begins becoming very disruptive.
Night terrors can be caused by:
- Stressful/traumatic life events
- Fever
- Sleep deprivation
- Medication
When should you contact your primary care provider?
- They become a frequent occurrence
- Your child's level of fatigue is increasing
- You become worried about your child's safety
Can nightmares and night terrors be prevented?
While there isn't one specific thing that can completely prevent nightmares and night terrors, there are some changes you can make to increase the chance of avoiding them, such as:
- Not reading or watching anything scary before going to sleep
- Avoid eating a heavy meal right before bed
- Having your primary care provider determine if there is a correlation between the nightmare or night terror and medication you may be taking
- Avoid stressful triggers before sleeping
To help children avoid night terrors make sure they get enough sleep, provide comfort, and write down the occurrences to help determine if there's a pattern of behavior. If so, share your notes with your primary care provider.
Tired of not getting a good night's sleep?
Make an appointment with a primary care provider and ask for a referral to Dr. Scott Johnson at Crossing Rivers Health Center for Specialty Care.