I’ve always had vivid dreams: happy ones, sad ones, nightmares, weird ones, dreams that eventually got turned into stories. But every once in a while, a dream leaves me in an absolute panic. I wake up in a sweat, heart pounding, afraid to move and even more afraid to go back to sleep for fear of being back in the dream again.
I had one of those last night.
While I used to think nightmares and sleep terrors were basically the same thing, they’re not. What’s the difference?
Night terrors tend to happen within the first few hours of falling asleep. As the mind transitions between stages of sleep, a person can experience sudden agitation, fear, and distress. A person who is experiencing sleep terrors may not respond to attempted comfort. Sleep terrors are most common in children between the ages of four and twelve.
Experts believe that the central nervous system may become overloaded or over-aroused during sleep, causing these extreme reactions to changes in sleep state. Children who are overtired or stressed, are adjusting to a new medication, or are sleeping in an unfamiliar environment may be more prone to sleep terrors. Children with a sleepwalker in the family are also more likely to experience night terrors — sleepwalking is a similar type of sleep disturbance.
Nightmares tend to happen towards the end of a night’s sleep. The person can often remember part of or all of the dream, and will respond to attempts at comfort. It sounds like this is what I experienced last night.
If you want to help prevent night terrors, make sure your child is getting enough sleep. Set a bedtime schedule and stick to it. Help your child manage or avoid stress.
If you want to prevent nightmares, that bedtime schedule is a good place to start. Make sure the person going to bed (child or adult) feels safe, secure, and peaceful. Avoid scary stories and TV shows right before bed — your brain doesn’t need the extra inspiration.
It’s hard to force your brain to present good dreams — if it was easy, I’d be spending my nights on a tropical island with handsome movie stars! Still, I’d be happy just to have dreams that DON’T wake me up sweaty and scared.