How do you treat night terrors?

Good night sleep is essential for good health, but what happens when you can’t have it because of night terrors? The thought alone can give you the creeps. Night terrors are a type of sleep disorder that affects about 40% of children and a lesser percentage of adults. Usually, they happen during the first half or first third of your sleep cycle.

Night terrors episodes generally last between 5-20 minutes and start abruptly with people sitting up in bed crying out, sweating excessively or panting forcefully. Children who experience these episodes commonly flail their arms uncontrollably while still asleep (Somniloquy). Afterward, they might fall back soundly asleep without remembering anything from the night terror episode in contrast to nightmares that usually occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycles where the subject will wake up with memory intact.

Leaving this mild inconvenience unaddressed can result in more serious problems like poor performance at work or school due to lack of proper rest which brings us down to answering the all-important question; ‘How do we deal with night terrors?’

Minimizing Factors Responsible For Night Terrors

Here are some things you must avoid before bedtime if full-on nighttime screams are not on your list.
No stimulating activities such as rigorous physical activity right before bedtime.
No consuming heavy meals close to bedtime.
Avoid caffeine six hours before sleeping since caffeine enhances alertness keeping away deep undisturbed slumber.
Abstain from late nights video gaming sessions.

Comfort During An Episode

As mentioned earlier, it’s normal for sufferers not being aware until after experiencing an episode (Parasomnia), so having someone familiar around providing comfort helps ease-off any tension caused by unfamiliar territory. Be sure to gently reassure them verbally while avoiding touch unless necessary since waking them suddenly mid-episode has potential consequences of spasms, a horror story for another day.

Medical Solutions

Medical intervention might be necessary if the aforementioned actions do not have any telling effect on your night terrors experience.

Medication

Taking medication without first consulting a medical expert is dangerous, don’t be that daredevil. The following drugs can assist in subsiding or controlling night terror episodes:

  • Benzodiazepines; These are tranquilizers used to relax muscles and calm nerves also useful in anxiety treatment.
  • Antidepressants; These drugs balance chemicals responsible for mood and other physiological functions such as norepinephrine, serotonin etc.
    (Bonus tip: Sleep deprivation exacerbates depression symptoms)
  • Melatonin supplements regulate our natural sleep-wake cycle (Circadian Rhythm).

In conclusion, solutions exist aplenty just do not lose hope due to this inconvenience resulting in poor healthy outcomes which can further worsen psychological states leading to more serious ailments (Sleep Debt). Also recommended are specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sessions with expert therapists helped from time constraints and presented solution plans catered towards individual unique experiences.

Comply with advice you find helpful while boosting positive health habits helping reduce risk factors involved along resultant effects from Night Terrors per Stephen Reddington – Somnologists dream team lead at Stanford University – “Paying attention to practices affecting an individual’s circadian rhythm bodes well.”

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