Night Terrors Are A Sleep Disorder

Night terrors are a sleep disorder that can extremely disturbing for people to deal with. Some people suffer from them for years starting when they are a very young. They can start as the result of a traumatic experience but most individuals have no idea why they are experiencing them. There has been plenty of research on the subject but a great deal about it still remains a mystery.

In various night terror studies at sleep clinics, it has been noted that there is an increase in brain activity during the night terror episodes. Most people only suffer from one of them per night and they can last for short periods of time. Some people suffer from night terrors several times a week, nightly, or only a couple of times a year. In most instances it is the same or very similar experience each time. Some individuals never do remember what the night terror was about though. They simply wake up terribly afraid but don’t understand why.

This brain activity has led many in the area of sleep disorders to believe that there is a chemical imbalance to be dealt with. Others continue to argue that it is a sign of suppressed trauma or anxiety. Parents of children with night terrors are often given disturbing information by medical professionals. It can be assumed that they are the victim of sexual abuse which is later found to be untrue.

Sometimes night terrors are the result of something terrible that has happened to someone. For example sexual abuse, rape, and even post traumatic stress disorder can lead to night terrors. In these types of cases counseling and therapy can help the person to overcome their night terrors. The more support they have the more then can gain control over the situation. As a result the night terrors may eventually go away on their own.

For most people with night terrors, they suffer in many ways. Their body isn’t allowing them to adequately rest while they are sleeping due to the episodes. They often wake from the night terrors with an overwhelming sense of fear. This makes it very difficult to go back to sleep. Their anxiety also increases at bed time because they are afraid that they will experience an episode.