Sleeping disorders are very common in a lot of people and it can mess with your sleeping schedule and your well-being. Night terrors are also very common to occur and you may need to visit a sleep clinic bethesda for treatment. Here is everything you need to know about night terrors.

What Are Night Terrors?

Sleep terrors, also known as parasomnia, is the frantic episode of screaming, feeling scared and thrashing around in your sleep. It can be associated with some sort of stress, panic or anxiety you might be feeling and thinking too much about. Night terrors are also accompanied with inability to sleep, feeling scared of certain things and having terrifying hallucinations. This is more of a psychological issue but it can disrupt your sleep, nonetheless.

A night terror will last long for a few seconds up to some minutes. While it can be shrugged off easily, it can occur every night if the condition worsens. Night or sleep terrors occur in children and adults alike. Children tend to become a target to night terrors, if they have some sort of trauma latched to their memory.

Night terrors can also cause severe panic attacks and depressive bouts, if it is not treated right away. If you keep waking up after a frantic episode of panic and terror, it can be hard for you to fall asleep again. This can cause a major disruption in your sleeping schedule and it can cause you to stay awake throughout the night. This is not good for your body or brain and it can affect your mood and body in an adverse way.

Causes Of Night Terrors

Here are some potential causes and factors which can lead to parasomnia or sleep terrors.

Alcohol abuse right before bed. Alcohol can stimulate your brain, allowing it to make unreal hallucinations in your head but you tend to believe them anyways and become scared and frantic.
Fever is also a huge contributing factor to sleep terrors. Cold sweats and ragged breathing can cause you to feel anxious.
Any sort of trauma or stress that is being triggered at night can lead to bouts of frantic episodes.
Sleep deprivation is also another major cause of sleep terrors. Inadequate rest for the brain can lead you to think certain things which will terrify you.
Changes in your lifestyle like working odd hours and changes in your sleep schedule can also lead you to feel restless and frantic during your sleep, allowing your stress and anxiety to peak through the roof.

Symptoms Of Night Terrors

Here are some very common and alarming symptoms of night terrors and parasomnia.

You usually don’t remember what happened to cause you to scream and panic in the middle of your sleep.
You will feel yourself thrashing around in your bed.
You will feel trapped in your dream-like state.
Shivers and cold sweats are common after a frantic episode.
Your pulse will be ragged and fast.
Your breathing will be faulty and irregular as if you have run a marathon.
You will feel undeniably scared of the dark or something else in the night.
You will feel like you can’t calm yourself down unless you get up and pace around the room. You need to move your body somehow to alleviate the stress and panic.

How To Treat Night Terrors?

Here are some treatment options for sleep or night terrors.

Seek therapy. If your night terrors are caused by a certain trigger or trauma, then you need to see a specialist for this reason. A therapist will help you to fight this trauma, so that you feel less afraid of it.
Have someone wake you up immediately. It is a great idea to have someone wake you up before the fear takes over you and. Waking up breaks the cycle of feeling scared, and you will feel much better afterward.
Sleep medicine also helps if your terrors are mild and less occurring.

There you have it! Now you know what night terrors are, what are their causes and symptoms and how to treat these recurring hallucinations and panic attacks. You should go to a sleep center urbana for diagnosis and treatment.