Night terror

Night terror, also called sleep terror, is a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread and typically occurring during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and lasting for 1 to 10 minutes. It can last longer, especially in children. Sleep terror is classified in the category of NREM-related parasomnias in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. There are two other categories: REM-related parasomnias and other parasomnias. Parasomnias are qualified as undesirable physical events or experiences that occur during entry into sleep, during sleep, or during arousal from sleep. Sleep terrors usually begin in childhood and usually decrease as age increases. Factors that may lead to sleep terrors are young age, sleep deprivation, medications, stress, fever, and intrinsic sleep disorders. The frequency and severity differ among individuals; the interval between episodes can be as long as weeks and as short as minutes or hours. This has created a situation in which any type of nocturnal attack or nightmare may be confused with and reported as a night terror. Night terrors tend to happen during periods of arousal from delta sleep, or slow-wave sleep. Delta sleep occurs most often during the first half of a sleep cycle, which indicates that people with more delta-sleep activity are more prone to night terrors. However, they can also occur during daytime naps. Night terrors can often be mistaken for confusional arousal. While nightmares (bad dreams during REM sleep that cause feelings of horror or fear) are relatively common during childhood, night terrors occur less frequently. The prevalence of sleep terrors in general is unknown. The number of small children who experience sleep terror (distinct from sleep terror , which is recurrent and causes distress or impairment) are estimated at 36.9% at 18 months of age and at 19.7% at 30 months. In adults, the prevalence is lower, at only 2.2%. Night terrors have been known since ancient times, although it was impossible to differentiate them from nightmares until rapid eye movement was studied.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (8)

Related units (1)

Related concepts (11)

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that involves a decreased ability to regulate sleep–wake cycles. Symptoms often include periods of excessive daytime sleepiness and brief involuntary sleep episodes. About 70% of those affected also experience episodes of sudden loss of muscle strength, known as cataplexy. Narcolepsy paired with cataplexy is evidenced to be an autoimmune disorder. These experiences of cataplexy can be brought on by strong emotions.

Sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which one is conscious but is unable to move or speak. During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear. Episodes generally last no more than a few minutes. It can recur multiple times or occur as a single episode. The condition may occur in those who are otherwise healthy or those with narcolepsy, or it may run in families as a result of specific genetic changes.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of low consciousness, with performance of activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. These activities can be as benign as talking, sitting up in bed, walking to a bathroom, consuming food, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving a motor vehicle, violent gestures and grabbing at hallucinated objects.

, ,

INTRODUCTION: Daytime sleepiness is highly prevalent in the general adult population and has been linked to an increased risk of workplace and vehicle accidents, lower professional performance and poorer health. Despite the established relationship between ...

2018

Sustained Sleep Fragmentation Induces Sleep Homeostasis in Mice

Pierre Magistretti, Jean-Marie Petit, Maxime Olivier Baud

Study Objectives: Sleep fragmentation (SF) is an integral feature of sleep apnea and other prevalent sleep disorders. Although the effect of repetitive arousals on cognitive performance is well documented, the effects of long-term SF on electroencephalogra ...

American Academy of Sleep Medicine2015

Altered cortical and subcortical local coherence in obstructive sleep apnea: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Dimitri Nestor Alice Van De Ville, Jonas Richiardi

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, characterized by excessive snoring and repetitive apneas and arousals, which leads to fragmented sleep and, most importantly, to intermittent nocturnal hypoxaemia d ...

Wiley-Blackwell2013