Imagine going to bed at night, after putting a child to sleep, and at some point, you suddenly hear hysterical crying, and when you go to check on the child, they are asleep, but crying or screaming at the same time. In that moment, you imagine they are having a bad dream, but on trying to soothe the child, you wonder how they do not wake up from it, but instead, continue crying no matter what you do. 

This is called night terrors or sleep terrors; according to Mayo Clinic sleep terrors are episodes of screaming, intense fear, and flailing while still asleep. Also known as night terrors, sleep terrors are often paired with sleepwalking. Like sleepwalking, sleep terrors are considered parasomnia — an undesired occurrence during sleep. Sleep terror episode usually lasts from seconds to a few minutes, but episodes may last longer.    

These episodes are commonly found in young infants and a small percentage of adults, and they aren’t usually nothing of concern as most children outgrow them by their teenage years.

"I used to sleep in the same bedroom with my little brother and every time in the middle of the night, I would wake up to his screams and cries, it would scare me a lot and I wouldn’t try to calm him down, I would shake him in an attempt to pull him out of his nightmare,” says Allan Mugisha.

But night terrors are different from nightmares, according to Healthline. When you wake up from a nightmare, you’ll probably remember at least some of what the dream involved. During night terrors, you remain asleep and usually don’t remember what happened when you do wake up. You might remember a scene from a dream you had during the episode, but it’s uncommon to recall any other part of the experience.

What causes night terrors?

Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist in internal medicine, explains that night terrors can be caused by different things, in children and in adults.

"Night terrors usually occur due to sleep deprivation, anxiety, use of caffeinated products. In toddlers, they may be due to something stressful or frightening the child has experienced or seen during waking hours and is unable to express his fear. Sometimes it may be due to dyspeptic symptoms or some other physical problem,” she explains.

Sleep Foundation explains that night terrors in adults happen less frequently but adults with a childhood history of night terrors may have a recurrence of the episodes, triggered by stress, sleep deprivation, or the development of another sleep disorder. As with adolescents, sleep terrors in adults may be of particular concern due to a greater risk of injury to oneself or other household members if violent behaviour occurs during the episode. Rarely, adolescents and adults may recall details of the night terror.

It’s best not to try to wake kids during a night terror. This usually doesn’t work, and kids who do wake are likely to be disoriented and confused and may take longer to settle down and go back to sleep, Kids Health, a source for physician-reviewed information, suggests. 

Prevention

"To prevent night terror, make sleep time as quiet and peaceful as possible. Keep the toddler away from TV programmes, domestic disputes, and stressful situations.  Never threaten him or make him fear some imaginary person, or ghost, during daytime. Try to put him to sleep at a fixed time every night. The room should be quiet, say something, or sing something soothing to him. Ensure that the room is not completely dark. In most cases, these measures do work. Dr Pande advises.

Mayo Clinic suggests that to prevent sleep terrors you should:

Get adequate sleep. Fatigue can contribute to sleep terrors. If you’re sleep-deprived, try an earlier bedtime and a more regular sleep schedule. Sometimes a short nap may help.

Make the environment safe. To help prevent injury, close and lock all windows and exterior doors at night. You might even lock interior doors or put alarms or bells on them. Block doorways or stairways with a gate, and move electrical cords or other objects that pose a tripping hazard.

Look for a pattern. If your child has sleep terrors, keep a sleep diary. For several nights, note how many minutes after bedtime a sleep terror episode occurs. If the timing is fairly consistent, anticipatory awakenings may help.

If they seem to come more frequently, experts recommend visiting a psychologist or a doctor in the field to check if there are no other problems arising.