Many of us have experienced waking up in the middle of the night due to our minds trapping us in a paralyzing situation while resting. Night terrors are the psychological effects of stress, negative feelings, or anxiety. They’re more common in small children, but many adults and young teens often suffer from these events.
While occasional night terrors are normal and nothing to worry about, constant and recurring ones can be a sign of something else in your psyche. Nightmare disorder is the constant disturbance of vivid and unsettling dreams while trying to rest. Symptoms of this can be bedtime anxiety, daytime sleepiness, issues functioning at work or school, fear of the dark, or behavioral issues. If these issues persist for longer than a week it’s important to talk to a specialist about the sleep disturbance. This is considered a disorder, and those who struggle with this sleep disorder also often have a very disturbed circadian rhythm. An interview with a person, who wishes to stay anonymous, has talked about his experience with this disorder. To prevent confusion and protect his identity, he will be referred to as John Johnson. John Johnson has expressed in the interview what trying to sleep is like for him: “I try to sleep, but like, my brain is too anxious to let me sleep, and I can’t really relax when I do fall asleep though because of these dreams I have, then when I wake up I feel like I didn’t even sleep half the time.”
Sleep disorders such as night terrors aren’t something that just going to bed earlier or not having screen time before bed can fix. If you find yourself struggling with this, seeing a doctor is important for both your mental and physical health. Not sleeping can cause many future health risks such as heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, strokes or depression. It’s important to take care of yourself and seek help if needed. Night terrors can be exhausting to deal with, and professionals will understand. Seek help if you need it, and take care of yourself!
