what are night terrors?, page 1

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:25 AM

link

Hi

I have a friend who's son is having night terrors - so as above can anyone explain what they are or what causes them?

The reason I have put this in this forum is because he has read up on it and has the normal medical info and doesn't think its any of that - so is there thought to be a spiritual/metaphysical reason for this (reliving past life experiences etc)?

thanks

silo13

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:26 AM

link

reply to post by doubledutch

I understood 'night terrors' was just a newfangled name for nightmares.

What causes them? Wow - great question! I have a few I'd like to get rid of myself!

I'll do some hunting around for you and see what I can find! Thanks for asking - good question!

peace

Suspiria

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:38 AM

link

en.wikipedia.org...

It's usually just a phase in children so I wouldn't worry too much.

defcon5

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:39 AM

link

reply to post by doubledutch

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

They really don't have a definite answer on what causes them, but what we do know is that they happen most often in children while they are in slow wave sleep. There is no dreaming attached to true “night terrors”, the person usually will sit up, be very agitated, and inconsolable, then when they are fully alert cannot recall what it was that frightened them.

Dreaming occurs in Stage REM sleep, and Night Terrors occur in Stages 3-4 Sleep (Slow wave), which is why there is no “dream recall” with true night terrors. If the child can tell you what it is that frightened them, then its more likely a “nightmare” then a “night terror”. I would recommend, as always, that they go see a Board Certified Sleep Physician, for which you can get a referral through your General Practitioner.

Unfortunately, if it is truly “night terrors”, and they cannot find an underlying cause, I don't believe that there is much treatment for it outside of helping the family learn to cope with it. Luckily, Slow Wave Sleep decreases with age, so they will most likely pass with age. One possible cause is letting a child be overtired, so if they are truly “night terrors”, and you want to try it, you can make the child go to bed earlier, or start taking naps, so that when they do sleep they do not go to bed in a state of complete exhaustion.

As always though, this is a medical condition, and I recommend you seek out the proper specialist physician to have it treated.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

defcon5

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:40 AM

link

Originally posted by silo13
reply to post by doubledutch

I understood 'night terrors' was just a newfangled name for nightmares.

Two entirely different disorders, that happen in two different stages of sleep.
Nightmares happen in REM Sleep, Night Terrors happen in Slow Wave Sleep.
Nightmares have “dream recall”, Night Terrors don't.

edit on 7/3/2012 by defcon5 because: (no reason given)

mainidh

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:44 AM

link

Nightmares are vivid dreams with a horrible overtone, that you feel unable to escape from.

Night terrors are where you physically wake up and perhaps kicking the wall or punching out around you.

I suffer both - and not a child for many decades. I've woken myself up a number of times having kicked the wall and the pain rouses me. Far removed from a nightmare, which I often awake up from normally, but have that overwhelming horrible feeling last most of the day.

If I could take a pill and never dream again I would in a heartbeat. Just to get rid of these things...

NarcolepticBuddha

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:48 AM

link

reply to post by mainidh

Thank you! Somebody finally can make the distinction between "night terrors" and "sleep paralysis"! Every time one of these threads pops up I try to dispel the misnomer, but you have given me new hope.

As for the OP, I think it is fairly common. Doesn't mean that it doesn't have a spiritual significance though (if we are talking about sleep paralysis aka NOT night terrors.)

Edit: I'm not sure how past life regressions fit in with either sleep paralysis, night terrors, or any other sleep phenomenon. We need some more info to go on, OP.

edit on 3-7-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

defcon5

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:55 AM

link

reply to post by mainidh

Unless you're getting elevated levels of Slow Wave sleep, you might be having something different going on such as “REM Behavior Disorder”. Again though, the only way to know for sure, is to have a polysomnography run.

REM Behavior Disorder
For most people, dreams are purely a "mental" activity: they occur in the mind while the body is at rest. But people who suffer from REM behavior disorder (RBD) act out their dreams. They physically move limbs or even get up and engage in activities associated with waking. Some talk, shout, scream, hit, punch, or fly out of bed while sleeping! RBD is usually noticed when it causes danger to the sleeping person, their bed partner, or others they encounter. Sometimes ill effects such as injury to self or bed partner sustained while asleep trigger a diagnosis of RBD. The good news is that RBD can usually be treated successfully.

mangojuice

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 06:56 AM

link

I'm 22 and had this as a kid. What's F'd up is when you wake up in the middle of the night you can only think about the creative horrorfest you just witnessed, shooting you right into a lucid dream filled with more of these wonderful things.

It took me about 2 years to grow out of night terrors.

mainidh

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 07:02 AM

link

reply to post by defcon5

That sounds like it, but I always remember the panic that causes me to lunch out. I don't remember any case where I did it without having a feeling of terror saturate me.

My sleep hygiene is out the window too, insomnia for days, then I force myself to stay away so I can just drop. Been this way for as long as I can remember too, so I know that factors in.

^^ I'd forgotten about sleep paralysis too, another thing that adds to the fun times I call sleep, lol. Where you feel that 'presence' and hear that tin can whooshing like a strong wind lifting off a tin shed roof.

I find that I can play with that once the initial panic subsides. It has led me to some insane lucid dreams. Nothing like feeling that exhilaration of falling to your demise only to know it's not real and vaguely control it.. Bit like trying to walk after antihistamine sleeping medication -- you know you can do it, but just can't work out why you're still bashing into the floor.

It really does give truth to the saying "Flying is throwing yourself at the ground, and missing!"

restless genius

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 10:24 AM

link

Originally posted by defcon5

Originally posted by silo13
reply to post by doubledutch

I understood 'night terrors' was just a newfangled name for nightmares.

Two entirely different disorders, that happen in two different stages of sleep.
Nightmares happen in REM Sleep, Night Terrors happen in Slow Wave Sleep.
Nightmares have “dream recall”, Night Terrors don't.
edit on 7/3/2012 by defcon5 because: (no reason given)

I never knew this, I like Silo thought night terrors were just nightmares.

My son went through a phase a few months ago waking up crying shaking really scared saying he could see a creature with red eyes in the bedroom. This happened a few times but has not happened for a while.

I just put it down to night terrors. So now I realise it was just nightmares.

defcon5

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 10:52 AM

link

reply to post by restless genius

That could technically be a “Night Terror”. Not to confuse anyone too much here, but Nightmares are frightening dreams, they normally have a sort of “storyline” to them. Kind of like watching a movie. Night Terrors may have frightening imagery, like seeing a monster, but there is no story line to them as such, and there is little to no recall of the event.

Here is a better explanation:

Night Terrors

Night Terrors Symptoms: Sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear or terror that occurs at night, screaming, sweating, confusion, rapid heart rate, inability to explain what happened, usually no recall of "bad dreams" or nightmares, may have a vague sense of frightening images. Many people see spiders, snakes, animals or people in the room, are unable to fully awake, difficult to comfort, with no memory of the event on awakening the next day.

Night Terror or Nightmare?: Nightmares occur during the dream phase of sleep known as REM sleep. Most people enter the REM stage of sleep sometime after 90 minutes of sleep. The circumstances of the nightmare will frighten the sleeper, who usually will wake up with a vivid memory of a long movie-like dream. Night terrors, on the other hand, occur during a phase of deep non-REM sleep usually within an hour after the subject goes to bed. This is also known as stage 4. (A link to a sleep stages chart can be found on the navigation bar to the left) During a night terror, which may last anywhere from five to twenty minutes, the person is still asleep, although the sleepers eyes may be open. When the subject does wake up, they usually have no recollection of the episode other than a sense of fear. This, however, is not always the case. Quite a few people interviewed can remember portions of the night terror, and some remember the whole thing.

doubledutch

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 11:07 AM

link

thanks for all the reply's, I will send my friend the link to this thread so he can read it himself.

As for whether its night terrors or night mares it definitely sounds like terrors as his son wakes up screaming, dripping in sweat, cant focus on his parents, is still mid terror. Apparently it takes 5 minutes before he comes around and they calm him down, then in the morning he has no memory of it at all, nothing.

Thanks again for all the reply's

Mickierocksman

posted on Jul, 3 2012 @ 09:03 PM

link

Every child has them to some extent.

They are just a nightmare brought on by a very vivid imagination, often the dreams will be of things that scare them.

Kids wake up scared, parents comfort them, they go back to sleep.

Night terrors stop when the child realises that they are just dreams that they can stop or control…. my son when he had them last he saw crocodiles at the zoo that he brought into his dreams, once he understood that he can control the dream (and be a super hero that wins the fight) the fear that they feel goes away because they have control over the imagination.

Last night he dreamt of birthdays and xmas presents, so now he wants a toy today.

Mickierocksman

edit on 3/7/2012 by Mickierocksman because: (no reason given)

goHoosgo

posted on Apr, 10 2017 @ 09:18 PM

link

Diagnosed today as having night terrors. I've in the past 3 weeks attacked my wife in her sleep twice without remembering an attached dream. Doctor prescribed Valium to help ease my nerves during the night.

vonclod

posted on Apr, 10 2017 @ 09:32 PM

link

a reply to: goHoosgo

You might consider Marijuana edibles as an alternative to valium..if they are available to you.
A good friend of mine has an 18 year old daughter who has been suffering very much from night terrors as of late.
After being on a number of pills..all with some side effects, her doctor recommended edibles..which had already been provided and had some positive effect.
The doctors recommendation only confirmed it was a good move.