Night terrors, also known as Pavor Nocturnes in Latin, are an illness that affects millions of people each year. I am one of those people. I have experienced night terrors since the young age of seven. I am now sixteen, and although my night terrors have been greatly reduced in frequency, I still do have night terrors once in awhile. For me, night terrors often meant about five minute of sheer terror. In all of my night terrors, big spiders are continually attacking me. Suffering from arachnophobia would be the explanation for why I have night terrors about spiders. Experts say that night terrors are usually the result of a traumatic experience. So for former prisoners of war, or war veterans they are commonplace. These types of night terrors are known as type B night terrors, and most often occur in adults. I, however, do not remember having a traumatic experience with a spider. Experts also say that night terrors are genetic, but neither of my parents suffered from night terrors as children. The last possible reason for my night terrors could be a mundane experience with a spider. These types of night terrors are based off regular everyday experiences. These are known as Type A night terrors and these types of night terrors usually occur in children, ending around the age of fourteen.
Night terrors have some unique symptoms that you wouldn’t find with a regular nightmare. Including, but not limited to, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear of terror that occurs at night, screaming, confusion, and not remembering the night terror the next morning. A lot of people ask what the differences between night terrors and nightmares are. Well, in most cases people do not remember night terrors the day after they had one, whereas with nightmares, people can often vividly describe them. Another key difference between the two is that you cannot wake someone up that is having a night terror; this is because nightmares occur in a lighter sleep cycle. Another commonly asked question is, can you have multiple night terrors per night? The answer to this is, yes, depending on how traumatic the event or events causing the night terror are. It is uncommon however for someone to have multiple night terrors. A lot of people are curious as to what most night terrors are about. The most common night terrors can include spiders, snakes, or other people in the room with them.
Things you should know about night terrors mainly include the side effects. Many people will sleepwalk, sleep talk, or not be in control of their bodies while having a night terror. Most of the time it is all of the above though. Scientists have found that night terrors are hereditary, which means that they are passed down through the family. Mental illness can also play a role in night terrors as well. What are night terrors you may ask? Well, night terrors are a sudden reaction of fear that happens during the transition from one sleep phase to another.
Night terrors most often occur in children between the ages of 4-12, since they more often than not, are more easily scared than adults. Night terrors, however, are equally common amongst both males and females. Some people wonder if night terrors are deadly. Night terrors themselves are not deadly but the things you do while having a night terror could be. Serious cases of night terrors include jumping through windows, broken bones, and even concussions.
People have been known to turn violent while having night terrors, since they are seeing things that aren’t actually there. The more intense the nigh terrors, the more violent someone is likely to be while having it.
A drug called Klonopin can treat night terrors. This can greatly reduce the effects of a night terror. Unfortunately no one has discovered a complete cure for night terrors. If you are around someone who does have night terrors, you should stay calm, and make sure that the person gets more sleep at night.
Although there is currently no cure for night terrors, I hope that one day scientists do find one. Night terrors affect many people in our community, everyday. As I have mentioned in this paper, night terrors can be dangerous and disruptive to a person’s overall health and sleep, so the sooner we find a cure, the sooner we can end peoples suffering.
