Night Terrors In Adults: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
Unlike nightmares, night terrors are a sleep disorder that causes the affected person to wake up halfway, who may experience an episode of great anguish, fear and terror with screaming, crying, beating, palpitations, sweating, among others. other symptoms. In addition to the inability to become completely independent of sleep, the affected person does not remember what happened during that episode the next day. Although night terrors are common in children and usually disappear spontaneously as the child grows, it is also possible that they occur in adults and, in this case, they could be associated with emotional problems such as stress, anxiety, depression or some condition. underlying medical condition. In this PsychologyFor article, we are going to explain what they are. The causes, symptoms and treatment of 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 distressed. The person may wake up emitting a cry of distress, very scared or even confused. This may also be accompanied by other symptoms such as accelerated heart rate, altered breathing and excessive sweating. In some cases, he can 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 efforts 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 in adults: causes
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 pointed out that they could be related to emotional or personality problems. 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 been involved in some 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 immediate family members with this problem are more likely to suffer from them.
High fever and consumption of some medications: both fever and the taking of certain drugs could increase the sleep phases, making them deeper and favoring the suffering of these episodes.
Alcohol or drug consumption.
Night terrors in adults: symptoms
For know if you have night terrorsyou can ask yourself the following questions:
At night do you usually wake up suddenly screaming or terrified and very distressed?
When you wake up, do you take any action that could endanger yourself or anyone around you at that moment?
Do you feel 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 answered yes to the first of the above questions and also said “yes” to any of the following, you may be suffering from night terrors.
Pay attention to what are the main symptoms of night terrors in adultsthis can help you confirm the diagnosis:
Having very unpleasant sensations and visualizing negative images during the night terror.
During the episode, the person may talk, moan, scream, sob, or cry.
Moving excessively, which can cause falls.
Waking up screaming, very distressed and terrified.
When waking up, have sweating, hyperventilation, elevated heart rate, confusion and disorientation.
Hitting or kicking your surroundings without being aware.
He can keep his eyes open and walk even if he is asleep.
He does not react to the attempts that the person next to him may make to wake him up and calm him down.
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.
Effects and consequences of night terrors
Inevitably, when suffering from night terrors, the person’s quality of sleep and rest are severely affected and the consequences may be the following:
Insomnia: The affected person’s sleep is disturbed and the simple fact of thinking that these episodes may be recurring can make it difficult to fall asleep.
Excessive sleepiness the next day: During the next day, the person may be more tired and fatigued than normal, as well as have difficulty concentrating. Your usual performance may decrease considerably.
Night terrors can also have consequences for the people around of the affected person and it is possible that they suffer sleep disturbances and cannot rest peacefully.
When to see a specialist for night terrors
If night terrors occur sporadically due to temporary episodes of tension or stress, they do not have to constitute an alarm signal. Now, it is very important to seek professional help when these episodes begin to be increasingly frequent or recurrentfollow a specific pattern, the physical integrity of the affected person and the people around them is in danger or the next day they are very tired and cannot carry out their daily activities normally.
In this way, it is essential Go to a specialist when:
Night terrors are common.
It is not possible to rest well and the next day there is a lot of tiredness and fatigue.
The surrounding people cannot sleep and rest well.
There is a fear of falling asleep.
Night terrors cause aggressive or violent behavior.
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 do a thorough evaluation to confirm the diagnosis. There are many other disorders that cause symptoms similar to those of night terrors, hence the importance of having a specialized professional study them and issue a correct final diagnosis.
Treatment of night terrors in adults
There is no specific treatment for cure night terrors in adults, treatment is usually aimed at improving the patient’s sleep quality and preventing such distressing episodes from appearing during the night. Treatment for night terrors may include the following:
Psychotherapy: you can perform a cognitive behavioral therapywhich 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.
Tips to avoid night terrors in adults
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 going to sleep, either by doing calming activities or relaxation exercises.
Do physical exercise during the day to release accumulated tension 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 heavy meals before bed.
Take a hot bath before sleeping to relax.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor 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.
If you want to read more articles similar to Night terrors in adults: causes, symptoms and treatment we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.
