Night terrors in adults: causes, symptoms and treatment

Unlike nightmares, night terrors are a sleep disorder that causes a half awakening of the affected person, which may experience an episode of great anguish, fear and terror with screaming, crying, hitting, palpitations, sweating, among others symptom. In addition to the inability to become completely independent from sleep, the affected person does not remember what has happened during that episode the next day. Although night terrors are common in children and usually disappear spontaneously as the child grows older, it is also possible that present in adults and, in this case, could be associated with emotional problems such as stress, anxiety, depression or a medical condition underlying. In this Psychology-Online article, we will explain what they are the causes, symptoms and treatment of night terrors in adults.

Index

1. What are night terrors
2. Night terrors in adults: causes
3. Night terrors in adults: symptoms
4. Effects and consequences of night terrors
5. When to see a specialist for night terrors
6. Treatment of night terrors in adults
7. Tips to avoid night terrors in adults

The night terrors they are a type of Sleep disorder in which the affected person wakes up quickly and abruptly terrified and anguished. The person may wake up emitting a cry of anguish, very scared or even confused, in addition This may be accompanied by other symptoms such as a fast heart rate, impaired breathing, and sweating. excessive. In some cases, he may even hit what is around him without really being aware of his surroundings. Afterwards, he usually does not remember what happened and there is no response to the effort made by others to reassure him.

These episodes usually last between 10 and 20 minutes, and then the person falls asleep again. Night terrors occur during deep sleep phase and, generally, in the first half of the night.

Night terrors are much more common in childhood and usually disappear in adolescence. However, there is also a percentage of adults who suffer from them and in this case, although the exact cause is unknown, specialists have indicated that they could be related to emotional problems or personality. Let's see below what the Causes of night terrors in adults:

• Stress and emotional tension.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Fatigue and lack of sleep.
• Having starred in a traumatic event, such as the loss of a loved one, an accident, a separation, an illness, etc.
• Family history of night terrors: Apparently, people who have direct relatives with this problem are more likely to suffer from them.
• High fever and use of some medications: both fever and taking certain drugs could increase the phases of sleep making them deeper and favoring the suffering of these episodes.
• Consumption of alcohol or drugs.

In order to know if you have night terrors, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• At night do you usually wake up suddenly emitting a scream or terrified and very anguished?
• When you wake up, do you take any action that could endanger you or whoever is around you at that moment?
• Are you very confused when you wake up?
• Can't remember what happened the next morning?
• Is the person next to you at that moment unable to wake you up or calm you down?

If you have answered yes to the first of the previous questions and you have also said "yes" to any of the following, it is possible that you are suffering from night terrors.

Pay attention to what the main symptoms of night terrors in adults, this can help you confirm the diagnosis:

• Having very unpleasant sensations and visualizing negative images during the night terror.
• During the episode, the person may speak, moan, scream, sob, or cry.
• Moving excessively, which can lead to falls.
• Waking up screaming, very distraught and terrified.
• Upon waking, sweating, hyperventilation, elevated heart rate, confusion, and disorientation.
• Hitting or kicking his surroundings without being conscious.
• You can be with your eyes open and walk even when you are asleep.
• You do not react to attempts by the person next to you to wake you up and reassure you.
• He does not remember the episode or anything that happened during it.
• Once the episode has passed, the affected person can go back to sleep.

Inevitably, when suffering from night terrors, the quality of sleep and rest of the person are severely affected and the consequences can be the following:

• Insomnia: the sleep of the affected person is altered and the simple fact of thinking that these episodes may be recurrent can make it difficult to fall asleep.
• Excessive drowsiness the next day: during the next day, the person may be more tired and fatigued than normal, as well as having difficulty concentrating. The usual performance of it may decrease considerably.
• Night terrors can also have consequences for the people from the environment affected and it is possible that these suffer sleep disturbances and do not get to rest peacefully.

If night terrors occur sporadically due to temporary episodes of tension or stress, they need not be a red flag. Now, it is very important to seek professional help when these episodes begin to be increasingly frequent or recurring, follow a specific pattern, the physical integrity of the affected person and the people around him is seen in danger or the next day you are very tired and cannot carry out daily activities with normal.

In this way, it is essential see a specialist when:

• Night terrors are suffered frequently.
• You cannot get a good rest and the next day there is a lot of tiredness and fatigue.
• The people in the environment cannot sleep and rest well.
• You are afraid of falling asleep.
• Night terrors cause aggressive or violent behaviors.
• They follow a specific pattern.
• You think or suspect that you may have a mental or emotional problem.

The mental health professional will analyze the symptoms of each case and will make a thorough evaluation to confirm the diagnosis. There are many other disorders that cause symptoms similar to those of night terrors, of which hence the importance of a specialized professional studying them and issuing a final diagnosis Right.

There is no specific treatment for cure night terrors in adults, treatment is usually aimed at improving the quality of the patient's sleep and preventing such distressing episodes from appearing at night. Treatment for night terrors may include the following:

• Psychotherapy: a cognitive behavioral therapy, which in some can be combined with taking drugs that help treat associated symptoms.
• Treatment of medical or mental conditions that may be responsible for the suffering of these nocturnal episodes.
• Reduce stress, anxiety and accumulated tension.
• Performing alternative techniques, such as hypnosis, meditation, yoga, etc.

• Set and maintain a stable bedtime. Try to rest between 7 or 8 hours a day.
• Sleep in a comfortable, quiet and noise-free environment.
• Relax your mind before sleepingEither doing calming activities or relaxation exercises.
• Do physical exercise during the day to release accumulated tensions and reduce stress. Yoga and Pilates are good disciplines to achieve optimal physical and mental relaxation.
• Avoid consuming stimulant substances during the day or before going to sleep.
• Avoid very large dinners or large meals before going to sleep.
• Take a hot bath before bed to relax.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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