What are night terrors in adults?
About 2.2% of all adults at some point experience night terrors in adults. This is a sleep disorder that causes a person to have a terror-episode. During an episode of night terrors in adults, the adult appears to be awake, even though he’s not. During the night terror the adult is dreaming about death, losing someone loved or being chased by someone. Night terrors in adults happen in the 3rd and 4th stage of the sleeping cycle – deep sleep. This is different from nightmares. Nightmares happen during the 1st and 2nd stage – REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. The 3rd and 4th stages are somewhere between an hour and 3 hours after you are gone to sleep.
An episode can last from 5-15 minutes. Longer occurrences are rare.
What causes night terrors in adults?
This is where night terrors in adults differ from night terrors in children. Night terrors in adults can be caused by a genetic link. It is very uncommon for more than one members of the family to experience night terrors as children or adults.
There is a connection between night terrors in adults and mental disorders, but this only applies to adults. However, sufferers from night terrors in adults also have a medical history of having problems such as depression, anxiety (with anxiety attacks), bipolar disorders etc.
In the cases where there isn’t a psychological problem there are some conditions that can explain night terrors in adults:
- sleep deprivation
- head injury
- bloated stomach
- stroke
- migraine
- Premenstrual period
Stress can be a cause of night terrors in adults as well.
What are the symptoms of night terrors in adults?
The most common for a person having a night terror is the following scenario:
A person waking up in the middle of the night, terrified, screaming that someone wants to kill them, that someone is chasing them. Having no recollection of the dream the following morning is expected the following morning.
Other symptoms are:
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Trying to defend themselves
- Disorientation
- Fear
- Anxiety
How are night terrors in adults treated?
Treatment for night terrors in adults is different. With children, night terrors tend to go away by the 10th year. With adults, you must consult a doctor. Most of the time, a mix of some medications might be the cause of your night terrors. Some medications, when combined with sleep apnea (not being able to sleep deeply, interrupting your sleep by motion or sounds) might trigger night terrors in adults.
Be sure to check out our store for the latest helping tools for night terrors in adults.