The Effects of Night Terrors

Waking up in the middle of the night to see your loved one experiencing a night terror is a frightening experience. Knowing that he is asleep, even though his eyes may be open, and that he is not capable of receiving comfort from you is very difficult. Night terrors last just a few minutes and are more common in children than adults. The night terrors may disrupt everyone in the household.

  1. Effects on the Body

    • A person experiencing night terrors may have rapid breathing, a racing heartbeat, a rapid pulse and start to sweat. She may sit up quickly in the bed, and it may take a while to wake her.

    Combative Effects

    • The person experiencing the night terror can become a danger to himself or others, although this combative effect is more typical in adults than children. The person may leap out of bed; he may flail his arms and kick with his legs and try to fight anyone who tries to calm him. No matter how much you try to calm and reassure the child, he truly will not hear you until the night terror has passed and he awakens from it.

    Effects after Awakening

    • Adults often remember a small portion of the night terror, but children rarely remember what they were dreaming about or anything about the episode.

    Audible Effects

    • The child may scream and cry as if she is in severe pain. She may also shout and moan. She may say things that make no sense at all.

    Visual Effects

    • The person suffering with the night terror may stare wide-eyed at nothing in particular; he also may look directly at you but not really see you.

    Long-Term Effects

    • Children usually grow out of night terrors and they are rare in adults; but if fear of the night terrors causes the person to dread going to sleep at night, medical intervention may be necessary, according to the Mayo Clinic. Medical help may also be necessary if the night terrors increase over a period of time, result in injury or violent behavior toward others, or continually disrupt the person̵7;s sleep.

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