How to Differentiate Between Night Terrors and Nightmares

Nightmares and night terrors are very different and they occur at different stages of sleep. It is not known what causes night terrors and they are not well understood. They are more common in children but they do occur in adults as well. Here's how to tell them apart.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Determine if these episodes occur shortly after falling to sleep. Night terrors usually occur within the first hour or two of falling asleep while nightmares occur after several hours of sleep or shortly before waking up.
2. Pay attention to the details. If you can remember everything or most of what happened when you wake up you are experiencing nightmares. Night terrors are quite different. You may experience loud screaming, thrashing about with or without the screaming and you cannot wake yourself up. You will be confused when you awaken and may have difficulty breathing. You can usually remember very little, if anything, about the episode. You will often experience an overwhelming feeling of fright or have a vague memory of a single scene or incident and you will feel terrified.
3. Note that the cause of night terrors is unknown. Only 5 percent of children experience night terrors and most will outgrow them by puberty. Adults may have them with high levels of stress.
4. Seek professional help if you experience night terrors more than once a week or if these episodes are associated with physical injury to yourself or others.

Tips & Warnings

• It is not common for adults to have night terrors. Your doctor may recommend that you seek advice from a sleep specialist if the night terrors continue.