What Are The Symptoms Of Sleep Terrors? How to Understand Sleep Terror?, What should be done in case of sleep terror? We have compiled some of the information you need to know about it in our article.
What Are The Symptoms Of Sleep Terrors? How to Understand Sleep Terror?
Parasomnias are generally defined as the occurrence of undesirable abnormal behaviors, physical activities and autonomic symptoms such as palpitations, skin redness, sweating and dilated pupils that occur during the transition to sleep. Sleep terrors are also included under the title of parasomnia. In the content of our article, you, our dear friends, can access and learn detailed answers to the questions what should be done in case of sleep terror? and what is sleep terror?. So What are the symptoms of sleep terrors?
Parasomnias are generally defined as the occurrence of undesirable abnormal behaviors, physical activities and autonomic symptoms such as palpitations, skin redness, sweating and dilated pupils that occur during the transition to sleep. Sleep terrors are also included under the title of parasomnia. The most important step in the diagnosis of sleep terrors is the history taken from the patient and his bed partner. Video recording can also help in making a diagnosis. Questioning medical diseases, substance and alcohol use, questioning psychiatric diseases, and detailed neurological evaluation are important for accurate diagnosis. If the diagnosis is uncertain, sleep recording with polysomnography can be very helpful in diagnosis.
During sleep terrors, it is very important for the person next to them to remain calm. It should be known that attacks will generally last between 20 seconds and 5 minutes. It is very difficult to wake up the individual experiencing sleep terror at that moment. The family should be reminded that trying to wake up or calm the person down at that time is of no use. A safe environment should be created only to prevent the individual from being harmed by the actions taken at that time. When the attack ends, drowsiness and confusion may continue; it should be known that the patient will fall asleep again after a while. Usually, the person experiencing sleep terrors will not remember what happened in the morning. You can find more detailed information about the symptoms of sleep terror by continuing our article.
What Causes Sleep Terrors?
Sleep Terror Symptoms
Sleep terror is defined as sudden fear attacks that occur during NREM sleep in the first hours of sleep, accompanied by an increase in autonomic symptoms, starting with crying or loud screaming. Individuals experiencing sleep terrors wake up in fear, screaming, or making sudden movements such as running, jumping, or hitting the person next to them that could harm themselves or their surroundings. The individual is unresponsive to external stimuli during this time and is generally awakened with difficulty. When the individual wakes up, he may experience confusion and fear. Depending on the stimulation of the autonomic system, symptoms such as skin redness, sweating, palpitations and dilated pupils may be accompanied.
The cause of sleep terror disorder is not yet clearly known. It is stated that genetic factors are important or may accompany comorbid psychiatric diseases. The risk of developing sleep terrors in first-degree relatives is higher than in those without a family history of sleep terrors. Its association with schizoid, borderline and dependent personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and sleepwalking is frequently reported. Its association with sleep apnea syndrome, fatigue, alcohol and substance use, and restless legs syndrome is common.
Although sleep terrors are generally seen after the age of 3, there are also rare cases seen earlier. The baby or child may scream at that time and look around with a frightened expression. Only parents need to know that there is no alertness at that time. For this reason, one should remain calm during this period and the child should be calmed down at the end of the incident.
How to Treat Sleep Terrors
The first step in the treatment of sleep terrors is to ensure the safety of the sick person. Objects that could harm the sick person at that time should be removed from the sleeping environment. Sleep hygiene is very important in these sick people. In this respect, information would be useful. If the attacks occur at the same time, it will also be useful to wake the individual 15 minutes before that time and keep him awake for a while. If there are triggers such as alcohol or substance addiction, treatment can be achieved by quitting these. Detection and treatment of possible triggering factors are also very important. If sleep terror attacks are rare, these suggestions are sufficient. However, if the frequency of attacks is high and at levels that impair the individual’s functionality, antidepressants may be preferred in treatment. Although benzodiazepines are an effective option in treatment, they should not be used as the first choice as they can lead to addiction and trigger attacks after discontinuation.
Treatment of sleep terrors in children, primarily the same preventive methods applied in adults, is also very important in childhood. A safe sleeping room should be prepared so that the child does not harm himself at that time. During periods of movement, parents can hold children tightly to prevent them from hurting themselves. It should be known that insomnia can trigger this, and attention should be paid to sleep hours and sleep hygiene. If treatment cannot be provided with these methods and frequent attacks occur for more than 2 to 3 months, child psychiatry or child neurology should be consulted and treatment planning should be started by making a differential diagnosis of organic causes.
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