Night Terrors
An investigation into our sleeping lives and other types of parasomnias.
PARASOMNIA, pronounced PAYR-uh-SOM-nee-uh is an abnormal disruption of sleep, such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares, bedwetting, sleep apnea (problems with breathing that cause loud snoring), or nighttime seizures.
Night terrors are periods of screaming, wailing, kicking and flailing in bed whilst sleeping. Sleepwalking and engaging in activities while sleeping are also included as night terrors.
Medically, they fall into the parasomnia category, which means that they are an undesirable outcome of sleep. Both children and adults experience night terrors. I used to sleepwalk as a child to the extent that doors were locked with keys at night, and both academics and the medical community have no idea why it happens.
Children generally outgrow them by the time they are teenagers. They rarely occur during naps and take place during the deep sleep stage.
Someone may do the following during a night terror:
Sit up in bed and appear frightened.
Begin with a frightening scream or they might shout, stare wide-eyed, sweat heavily, breathe heavily and have a racing pulse, a flushed face and dilated pupils.
They may kick and thrash, be hard to awaken and be confused. If awakened, be inconsolable.
They may get out of bed, and run or walk around the house or have aggressive behavior if they are restrained or blocked.
When they awaken, they have little or no memory of what happened during the event.
Night terrors generally last 10 to 240 minutes, and the experience can be concerning, especially since we don't know why it occurs.
They are not nightmares. This is something completely different.
Alice Vernon has recorded a series of BBC Radio 4 episodes that cover most of the night terrors in an easy-to-listen-to online format. Here's a link for you to listen to them and find out more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fvyw
I hope you have enjoyed reading this episode of Transcend with Sheila Price Brooks.
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Sheila.
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