How is a Night Terror Different Than a Nightmare?
Night terrors can cause children to exhibit strange behavior and extreme fear. Children will appear awake when they are really still sleeping. Kids may be terrified of some unseen stimuli or have a look of sheer terror. Other times they are unresponsive and out of it. They may get up, walk around, eat, play with toys, interact, but they are sill asleep and it can be extremely difficult to wake them and also for them to calm down after having a night terror. If this happens more than a few times, parents should talk to their child’s doctor. The big difference is that nightmares occur in the early stages of sleep and the person appears to be asleep. Night terrors happen in deeper stages of sleep. It seems counter-intuitive, but in this deeper sleep stage, the person can actually appear to be awake, but still be asleep, suffering a night terror. What Causes Night Terrors? Some studies have shown that night terrors, like other sleep disorders, are hereditary. If there is a family history o
