Night Terrors In Adults: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Suffering from night terrors is usually something associated with childhood. Many boys and girls suffer from these episodes, in which they start screaming, hitting, and have a very bad night, scaring them and worrying their parents with their sobbing.
However, although it is not common, some adults can suffer from these episodes. They usually present the same symptoms as in children, although the causes may be associated with psychological problems and do not disappear on their own, unlike in childhood.
Next we will talk about night terrors in adults, what are the main causes that may be behind them, what consequences do they have? in the life of the person who presents them, their treatment and their key symptoms.
Night terrors are a sleep disorder in which the person who suffers from them wakes up abruptly, terrified and distressed.
She is so scared that she screams loudly, alerting people in the same household. She notices how her heart is racing, she is drenched in sweat and she feels confused because she doesn’t remember what happened.
The normal thing is that, when you experience one of these episodes, you are not aware of your surroundings, although you can kick and hit, hurting yourself and others. These episodes usually last 10 to 20 minutes and, as soon as they have passed, those who have suffered it go back to sleep. These episodes usually appear during the deep phase of sleep. and occur most frequently during the first half of sleep.
What causes these sleep disturbances?
Night terrors are a sleep problem that usually occurs during childhood and end up disappearing as we grow older. However, They can also occur during adulthood and do not end up disappearing on their own.
Often, these problems manifest themselves when the patient has gone through a period of great stress or is manifesting some psychological problem, both associated with their personality and recent experiences. The main causes behind these episodes are:
Many people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder experience these types of episodes. They can also occur in people who have other anxiety disorders and those related to trauma and stress factors. They can also manifest themselves in periods of many changes and high tension, such as the loss of a loved one, having experienced an accident, going through a separation or having recently received the diagnosis of an illness.
Another cause that can explain the appearance of night terrors in adults is family history. It is suspected that there could be a hereditary cause in its manifestation, since having direct relatives who have experienced them increases the probability of suffering from this problem.
Finally, as a cause of these episodes we also have high fever and substance use, whether medication or drugs. Drugs, substances such as alcohol and fever can alter sleep phases making them deeper and increasing the likelihood of night terrors occurring in adults.
Symptoms
There are several symptoms of night terrors. In order to know if you are experiencing these episodes, it is necessary to check if any of the following symptoms have occurred:
If any of these symptoms have occurred, you may suspect episodes of night terrors. Likewise, there are many other symptoms that are associated with this sleep disorder. Usually, in a night terror episode the person feels very unpleasant sensations, visualizes negative images while asleep and may speak, moan, scream, sob and cry.
Another symptom associated with this problem is the person moving excessively while sleeping. This puts you at risk of injuring yourself, hurting the person sleeping next to you, and even falling out of bed. When she wakes up she will find herself screaming, very distressed and terrified, she will be all sweaty, hyperventilating and with an accelerated heart rate. She will feel confused and disoriented.
Episodes of sleepwalking may occur. The affected person may sleep with his eyes open and even start walking in his sleep. He does not react to attempts by people around him to wake him up and calm him down. When he wakes up, he most likely will not remember anything that has happened.
Consequences
Night terrors, being a sleep disorder, affect its quality. The person does not sleep well, which is noticeable the next day in the form of tiredness, lack of spirit and fatigue. This causes a lot of frustration, which can lead to depression and other psychological problems when you want to rest and cannot.
The person may develop insomnia because they fear that, when they fall asleep, they will have another episode and harm herself or a loved one.
This insomnia and daytime sleepiness typical of night terrors not only affect the affected person, but also their immediate environment. When she suffers episodes, screaming, moving violently, and even walking causes people at home to wake up, make efforts to calm her down, and spend the night awake in fear that the person affected will hurt themselves.
When should you ask for help?
Episodes of night terror, if they occur sporadically and are associated with temporary problems, do not have to constitute an alarm signal. On the other hand, if they begin to be frequent, as they affect the energies of the person affected, it is necessary to go to a professional to try to solve this problem.
Furthermore, the physical integrity of the patient and their immediate environment is in danger, making it necessary in some cases to enter sleep clinics to monitor the episode in a safe environment.
Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment to cure episodes of night terrors in adults. The treatment focuses on improving the patient’s sleep quality. , trying to reduce the frequency of the episodes and their effects on the mood of the affected person. Psychotherapy and the use of drugs are usually the first option in order to address this problem.
The psychotherapist will try to find out what psychological problems explain the appearance of the episode, such as stress, depression, having suffered a trauma or any mental and emotional problem that may be related to this sleep disorder. Drugs can be used to reduce symptoms associated with this condition, such as lack of energy and insomnia.
Although they are not as effective as psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, the use of techniques such as hypnosis, different types of meditation and yoga could reduce the frequency and severity of episodes. Playing sports also helps, both to prevent these episodes and to soften them, although they are not as effective a therapeutic route as psychological therapy and medications.
It is essential that, whether you have experienced these types of episodes or not, you have good sleep hygiene. You should go to sleep between 10 and 12 at night, sleeping 7 to 9 hours and not consume stimulant substances after the afternoon. The consumption of alcohol and other drugs that can affect the quality and regularity of sleep should be avoided.
