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Night terrors, or sleep terrors, are frightening dreams that occur early in the sleep period during deep sleep and cause a person to awaken, usually with screaming, crying or yelling. Patients may also run around and throw items.

Night terrors may occur at night or during the day while napping. It is the most extreme form of an arousal disorder (parasomnia disorder presumed to be due to an abnormal arousal mechanism).

Night terrors usually occur during deep sleep (stages 3 and 4 of sleep) in the first third of the sleep period. They last between one and 10 minutes and are accompanied by signs of intense anxiety, such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing and dilation of the pupils.

People experiencing night terrors are difficult to arouse. When awakened, they are disoriented for several minutes and remember a vague sense of terror but do not remember the contents of a dream. Children waking from night terrors may thrash about or jump out of bed and may fight restraint. In most cases, people awaken briefly after a night terror and then fall back to sleep. The next morning, they may vaguely recall the episode, but are unable to recall specific details. People usually have only one night terror during a sleep period.

Night terrors usually cause significant distress and may impair social relationships due to embarrassment. People may avoid situations in which others may become aware of the problem, such as visiting friends overnight or sleeping with a bed partner.

Night terrors can be related to other disorders associated with deep sleep, including periodic limb movement disorder (disorder characterized by periodic episodes of repetitive jerking and kicking during sleep) and sleepwalking (disorder marked by walking or other activity during sleep).

Adults who have night terrors are more likely than children to experience substance abuse problems and mental disorders, such as mood disorders (mental disorders that affect mood and interfere with the ability to function).

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, night terrors are most common in children between ages 4 and 12 and affect 1 to 4 percent of all children.