Why does anyone get night terrors?

 There are many reasons why a person would have a dream so intense that they would wake up screaming, not only waking up and screaming, some individual have actually jumped out of bed and ran through their house screaming till they woke up exhausted but still terrorized.

 The root causes of night terror are:

1. Emotional stress that you may be going through at the time can set off night terrors.
2. Alcohol and certain medications can also be a factor.
3. If you haven’t sleep in a long time (sleep deprivation) your mind may play tricks on you.
4. Migraine headaches have been known to cause night terrors.
5. Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders should also be considered as a source of night terror.

 In a number of people who have night terror, they also have had problems with anxiety and depression issues.

 Who usually gets night terror?

Children more than anyone have night terrors; boys and girls get them in equal number. It is not as prevalent with adults’ especially senior citizens. Sleepwalking usually accompanies night terror.

 Treatment is limited with children having night terror. Usually the parent will keep an eye on the child so they don’t get hurt. In most cases night terror goes away. With adults the doctor may suggest a sleep study to ensure there isn’t a more serious problem.

Obstructive sleep apnea is where there is blockage of the airway in the back of the throat. This blockage causes the sleep apnea sufferer to wake up hundreds of times a night because the brain has stopped receiving oxygen.  Millions of people suffer from this all over the world. There are also millions that have this condition and don’t know it.

In order to find out if you have sleep apnea you would go to a doctor, either a ENT or a pulmonologist (lung doctor). After describing your sleeping patterns they would probably set you up for a sleep study.

A sleep study is an overnight study in a hospital or specialized office. There are rooms set up as bedrooms with video cameras that are connected into another room where sleep techs observe your sleeping. You are also connected to wires that measure your brain waves and the number of times that you wake up when your airway is blocked.

The test takes all night and the tech will send the report to your doctor.

After examining the report the doctor can then determine whether you have sleep apnea or not. If you do have sleep apnea the usual cure is the cpap machine. The cpap machine blows air through a tube into a mask that fits over your face. This continuous air will force the airway to stay open making sure that you don’t stop breathing in the night. The only drawback to using the cpap is that not everyone is comfortable wearing a mask at night and the sound of the machine can also be cumbersome.

Alternatives to the cpap mask are dental devices and surgery, which is usually the last resort for sleep apnea.

Many people believe that all sleep apnea patients are overweight. That isn’t necessarily true. An enlarged tongue and tonsils  also may block the airway.  Certain face shapes may also cause sleep apnea.