Is a night terror different from a nightmare?

Answer 1

Yes, it is, though you don't see night terrors as much in adults as you do in kids and teens, they are different.

Mainly, night terrors are recurring, and way more intense and lingering in their effects. As in, some people, when they wake up from the night terror, they aren't entirely lucid or waking when they are "awake", meaning part of their mind is still stuck in dream mode....the fear and other negative emotions are still there and full awareness of reality, in the sense of fully being awake, doesn't always come quickly. It is as if part of their brain is still stuck sleeping even though they are bodily *up*.

Let me see if I can find a Wiki link to explain this better:

Answer 2

Yes, very much so. A nightmare is just the typical bad dream everyone has. A night terror is an actual disorder: the person will abruptly "wake up" from deep sleep crying, screaming, panicking, etc. They are not actually conscious, though, and the terror will go on for anywhere from a couple of seconds to a half an hour. In the morning, they remember little or nothing except maybe a feeling of panic and fright, or like they had a nightmare and don't recall it.

You can also be very confused when you do wake up, and have a hard time getting back to reality; it's almost like a seizure that way. In fact, i was temporarily perscribed an anti-seizure medication for it, which helped a lot until i grew out of them.

Answer 3

They are very different. Nightmares are experienced by nearly everyone at some point. They are just scary/terrifying dreams. Most people remember them and if you are a person who has them often, you can teach yourself to wake up. A person experiencing a nightmare can be awakened by a third party.

Night terrors occur mainly in children, typically children who are experiencing some sort of stress, be it negative or positive, or are having to adjust to a new situation in their little lives that is putting stress on them. The child will yell and cry and fight you, they will thrash about almost as if they are having a seizure. They can last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour and it's nearly impossible to wake the child up, also not recommended to do so. Our daughters, who were adopted from China, were 13 months old when we brought them home. We bonded quickly and they are very happy little girls, but from time to time, they still have night terrors. Our adoption agency told us that it's normal and they will grow out of it. We just let them lie in bed while we talk calmly to them, tell them they are safe and that Mama and Poppy are here, and eventually it passes. They are terrifying to the parents.

Answer 4

Very much so!!! My now 14 year old had night terrors for a few years.It started when he was 5 and quit when he was 7,almost 8. I could tell when it was happening because he would walk and talk differently.He was usually crying and hysterical.If I touched him without him reaching out to me he would panic,so I had to let him hear me and he would either sit down and wake up or he would approach me then I could touch him.Sometimes it was about something that happened that day or something we couldn't understand.I mostly would just follow him as he was walking and made sure he didn't hurt himself on something and he would wake and wonder why he wasn't in his bed.The child gets out of bed and acts out something.Its not a simple scare and wake up and come running and crying.The child is not awake but going through motions. An example-My X-husband would make him try food that he didn't like(sounds harmless,but he was forced).My son had a night terror that night and came to me crying and said "please don't make me eat this" and handed a invisible object into my hand,twice,I told him he didn't have to and it was ok.He woke up and asked where he was.It was stressful at first, then I learned how to handle it.He was seeing a therapist and she said that it usually starts at 3 and ends at 7yrs old.It always happened about 2 hours into sleep,my own observation.

Answer 5

Night terrors are usually more intense than nightmares. A person can experience a night terror that last just a couple minutes up to an hour and will go peacefully back to sleep without remembering the episode.

A nightmare will usually disturb an individual and they will have trouble going back to sleep .....

Answer 6

Oh yea.... Terrors wake you at night sweating, screaming, full of anxiety, difficulty going back to sleep and are usually from an extreme event that was very stressful to you......Nightmares are about the boogieman, something you watched on TV, some fear you harbor. They come one night then they are gone. Terrors happen often, maybe not the same one, but many times in a month. If you are having them please talk to a professional therapist....It helps to talk about them, I know. Once you work through the stress causing them they will go away but it may take some time......Good luck to you....

Answer 7

Yes it is! A night terror is when a child awakens abruptly from a deep sleep in a state of agitation. The child may scream and sit up in bed, breathe rapidly, stare, or thrash about. (This is from a textbook called Human Development by Diane E. Papalia.) A nightmare is a bad dream.

Answer 8

I believe they are different. Nightmares are scary but don't usually produce the extreme physical and psychological distress night terrors produce.

Answer 9

http://spirita.blogspot.com/

Answer 10

it's the same thing