Night terrors are episodes of intense fear, screaming, and thrashing that happen during deep sleep, usually in the first few hours of the night. Unlike nightmares, the person experiencing a night terror isn’t fully awake and typically has no memory of the event afterward. They affect roughly 30% of children at some point, with boys and girls equally likely to experience them, and they’re rare in adults.
What Happens During a Night Terror
Night terrors are classified as a disorder of arousal, meaning the brain gets stuck in a transitional state between deep sleep and wakefulness. They occur during the deepest stages of non-REM sleep, typically within the first three hours after falling asleep. The brain partially wakes up but doesn’t complete the process, leaving the person in a confused, panicked state where they can’t respond to their surroundings normally.
During an episode, a child (or adult) may sit up in bed screaming, thrash their limbs, breathe rapidly, sweat heavily, and appear terrified. Their eyes may be open, but they’re not truly awake and can’t be fully roused. Trying to comfort or restrain them often makes the agitation worse. Episodes usually last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, after which the person settles back into sleep on their own. The next morning, they have no memory of what happened.
Night Terrors vs. Nightmares
People often use these terms interchangeably, but they’re fundamentally different events happening in different stages of sleep. Nightmares occur during REM sleep and are most common in the early morning hours. Night terrors happen during deep non-REM sleep, concentrated in the first half of the night. After a nightmare, you wake up fully, feel scared, and can usually describe the dream in some detail. After a night terror, the person can’t be fully woken and has no recall of a bad dream or any dream at all.
This distinction matters practically. If your child wakes up crying and can tell you about a scary dream, that’s a nightmare. If they’re screaming with their eyes open but seem to look right through you, can’t be consoled, and don’t remember anything the next day, that’s a night terror.
Common Triggers
Not every child who has one night terror will have them regularly, but certain conditions make episodes more likely:
- Sleep deprivation: Missing naps, staying up late, or having an irregular sleep schedule is one of the strongest triggers.
- Fever: Illness that raises body temperature can disrupt normal sleep architecture.
- Stress or emotional tension: Changes in routine, family conflict, or anxiety about school can all increase frequency.
- Obstructive sleep apnea: Repeated breathing interruptions fragment deep sleep and can provoke partial arousals.
- Alcohol: In adults, drinking before bed disrupts deep sleep and is a recognized trigger.
There’s also a strong genetic component. Night terrors run in families, and having a parent who experienced them (or who sleepwalked as a child) raises the likelihood significantly. The underlying vulnerability appears to be constitutional, though whether episodes actually occur often depends on stress, sleep habits, and other environmental factors.
Who Gets Them and When They Stop
Night terrors most commonly appear between ages 3 and 8, though they can start as early as 18 months. The prevalence of about 30% in children sounds high, but that includes children who have only one or a handful of episodes in their lifetime. Frequent, recurring night terrors are less common. Most children outgrow them entirely by adolescence as their nervous system matures and the transitions between sleep stages become smoother.
Adults can experience night terrors, but it’s rare. When they do occur in adulthood, they’re more often linked to significant stress, personality factors, difficult life circumstances, or coexisting conditions like sleep apnea. Adults who have them tend to report higher levels of emotional tension in their daily lives.
What to Do During an Episode
The most important thing to understand is that you should not try to wake someone up during a night terror. Shaking them awake typically prolongs the episode and increases confusion and distress. Instead, stay nearby, speak calmly, and wait for it to pass. If the person is moving around, gently guide them back toward bed without restraining them.
Safety is the main practical concern, especially for children who thrash or sleepwalk during episodes. Lower the mattress to the floor if your child is in a raised bed. Place padding on the floor near the bed. Keep sharp or breakable items out of the bedroom. Lock doors and windows, and consider setting up an alarm that alerts you if your child tries to leave the room.
Reducing Frequency
Because sleep deprivation is such a reliable trigger, the single most effective step is ensuring consistent, adequate sleep. That means a predictable bedtime routine, a regular wake time, and age-appropriate nap schedules for younger children. Reducing screen time before bed and keeping the sleep environment cool and dark also help.
For children with frequent, predictable episodes, a technique called scheduled awakening can be effective. Parents track the time night terrors typically occur over several nights, then gently rouse the child about 15 to 30 minutes before that expected time. The arousal doesn’t need to be a full waking, just enough to briefly disrupt the sleep cycle. In multiple studies, this approach gradually reduced the number of spontaneous night awakenings, with treatment effects holding up at follow-up assessments three to six months later. The scheduled awakenings can eventually be tapered off as the pattern breaks.
Addressing underlying triggers also helps. If a child is anxious, working through the source of stress can reduce episodes. If snoring or mouth breathing suggests sleep apnea, treating the breathing problem often resolves the night terrors as well. For adults, managing stress and avoiding alcohol close to bedtime are practical first steps.
Medication is rarely needed and is typically reserved for severe cases where episodes are frequent, disruptive to the household, or pose a safety risk that can’t be managed with environmental changes alone.