A night terror, also known as a sleep terror or pavor nocturnus, is a parasomnia disorder, causing feelings of terror or dread, and typically occurring in the first few hours of sleep during stage 3 or 4 non-rapid eye movement NREM sleep. However, they can also occur during daytime naps.
Night terrors should not be confused with nightmares, which are bad dreams that cause feelings of horror or fear. While nightmares are relatively common during childhood, night terrors occur less frequently according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. An estimated 1%-6% of children and fewer than 1% of adults will experience a night terror episode within their lifetime. Sleep terrors begin between ages 3 and 12 years and then usually dissipate during adolescence. In adults they most commonly occur between the ages of 20 to 30. Though the frequency and severity varies between individuals, the episodes can occur in intervals of days or weeks, but can also occur over consecutive nights or multiple times in one night.
Read more about Night Terror: Associated Features of Night Terrors, Genetic and Cultural Features of Night Terrors, DSM-IV-TR Diagnosis, Adults, Children, Treatment
Famous quotes containing the words night and/or terror:
“Only when one cannot sleep does one know how long the night is.”
—Chinese proverb.
“We become lovers when we see Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet makes us students. The blood of Duncan is upon our hands, with Timon we rage against the world, and when Lear wanders out upon the heath the terror of madness touches us. Ours is the white sinlessness of Desdemona, and ours, also, the sin of Iago.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)