What Are the Different Symptoms of Night Terrors?

Night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, refer to the awakening that occurs suddenly from deep sleep, accompanied by screams, abnormal behavior, and sympathetic nervous system symptoms caused by intense fear. Graham reported in 1986 that the incidence was 3%. A 2002 sleep survey of 1812 children aged 1 to 6 years in Shanghai showed that the prevalence of night terrors and nightmares was 12.4%. Sleepwalking and sleep terrors are essentially a type of arousal disorder that occurs during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and usually occurs during the first third of the night's sleep. The relationship between the two is relatively close, and they usually start before puberty. They are more common in children 4 to 7 years old, with more men, and they gradually stop after puberty.

Basic Information

nickname

Sleep terror

Visiting department

Department of Psychology

Common causes

The etiology is mostly related to genetic, developmental, organic, psychological and endocrine factors

Common symptoms

Sudden onset of extreme fear and panic at night, sitting up suddenly, screaming, shouting, or crying, may have tachycardia, shortness of breath, sweating, etc.

The etiology is mostly related to genetic, developmental, organic, psychological and endocrine factors. Most of the childhood patients have a family history, and most of the adult patients have a history of emotional or personality abnormalities and a history of substance abuse. In addition, poor sleep environment, excessive bedding, chest compressions, overeating, and nasal ventilation can also cause night terrors.

Night terrors are sudden onset of extreme fear and panic that manifests as sudden sitting up, screaming, shouting, or crying, with symptoms of autonomic nervous system such as tachycardia, shortness of breath, sweating, flushing of the skin , And abnormal behaviors such as getting out of bed and rushing to the door. An attack usually lasts 1 to 10 minutes and is difficult to wake up. If forcibly awakened, consciousness and disorientation will occur, the content of the dream cannot be spoken, and the seizure usually cannot be recalled.

1. In the polysomnography chart, it can be seen that the EMG amplitude suddenly increases, the EEG amplitude decreases, the frequency becomes faster, and sometimes an alpha rhythm occurs for several seconds.
2. Auxiliary examination of blood routine, blood biochemistry, thyroid hormone and other routine tests, EEG, brain CT, brain MRI and other auxiliary examinations, to understand the presence or absence of physical diseases and organic lesions of the brain.
3. Psychological assessment of personality tests, such as the retrospective personality development scale (WMPI) developed by Professor Wang Weidong, the Minnesota Personality Scale (MMPI) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, etc. Self-Depression Scale (SDS) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD).

According to the third edition of the Chinese Standard for Classification and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic criteria for the disease are:
1. Repeated episodes of waking up from sleep after a panic scream, unable to maintain proper contact with the environment, accompanied by intense anxiety, physical movements, and hyperactive autonomic nerves (such as tachycardia, shortness of breath, and outbreak) Sweat, etc.), lasts about 1 to 10 minutes, usually occurs in the first 1/3 stage of sleep.
2. Relative lack of response to other people's attempts to interfere with night terror attacks. If the interference almost always occurs at least a few minutes of disorientation and continuous movement.
3. Forgetting afterwards, even if you can remember, it is very limited.
4. Exclude secondary seizures caused by organic diseases (such as dementia, brain tumors, epilepsy, etc.), and also febrile seizures.
5. Sleepwalking can coexist with night terrors, and should be diagnosed side by side at this time.

The disease must be distinguished from nightmares, night terrors and epilepsy.
1. Nightmare: Occurs during REM sleep instead of deep sleep, with less panic, no obvious movements, clear consciousness after waking up, and detailed recall of dreams.
2. Night terror: It occurs during the transition from stage 2 sleep to stage 3 sleep, when the sudden awakening consciousness is clear, causing strong fear due to the prominent dying, accompanied by a series of symptoms of sympathetic hyperfunction, and the onset time can be longer. Can recall the seizures, and there may be seizures during the day.
3. Epilepsy: It is rare to have seizures only at night, and the EEG has specific manifestations that can be distinguished from it.

1. General treatment generally does not require special treatment, especially sleep terrors that occur during childhood mostly self-heal after adolescence. It is necessary to explain the relevant health knowledge to patients and family members to reduce psychological stress. Eliminate all kinds of stress factors before bedtime, and keep your mood stable and happy. Parents do not need to be afraid when night terrors occur, and they do not need to wake up the sick child, so they can soothe them to fall asleep again.
2. Drug therapy For those who have frequent episodes of sleep terrors or who have significant anxiety and depression during the day, anti-anxiety drugs can be used for a short time and in small amounts. Alprazolam and laurazepam are more commonly used. Can also use anti-anxiety antidepressants escitalopram, paroxetine and so on.
3. Chinese medicine treatment Chinese medicine has its own unique advantages for the treatment of night terrors. The more commonly used prescriptions are: Guipi Decoction, Wendan Decoction, Xiexin Decoction, Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction, Jiaotai Pill, Tianwang Buxin Dan. Etc. Chinese patent medicines include: Zhusha Anshen Pill, Danggui Longhui Pill, Baizi Yangxin Pill, Anshen Bunao Fluid, Ginseng Guipi Pill, etc., according to the patient's symptom classification and treatment. Acupuncture and massage guidance are also effective for night terrors.