Sleep Terrors

Sleep terrors are a common disorder usually experienced by children during deep sleep. The child may cry, scream, and appear to be awake. Usually the individual is difficult to wake-up and the episode may last several minutes. Once awakened, the individual may be confused and rarely has any recall of the episode. During the episode the individual may show evidence of marked fear and autonomic arousal, such as rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat and sweating.

These episodes are very common during childhood and typically decrease as the child ages frequently disappearing completely during puberty. If sleep terrors persist or have onset during adulthood, the disorder can frequently be associated with or exacerbated by stress.

Usually no treatment is necessary. However, for cases where injury is a possibility or the disruption to sleep is extreme, medications can be used. Accurate diagnosis by a sleep medicine physician is recommended.