night terror
Noun: 1. A sleep disturbance characterized by sudden terror: A "night terror" is a type of parasomnia, or sleep disorder, where a person, typically a young child, experiences intense fear, screaming, or thrashing during sleep. Unlike a nightmare, the individual is not fully awake and usually has no memory of the event upon fully waking.
"Night terror" is used as a countable noun. It refers to a specific episode or to the condition in general. * It is often described with verbs like have, experience, or suffer from. * It is commonly modified by adjectives like frequent, occasional, or severe.
- As a specific episode:
- The child had a night terror around 2 a.m., screaming but not waking up.
- We were awakened by another one of his night terrors.
- Referring to the condition:
- Some children outgrow night terrors by adolescence.
- She is researching the causes of night terror in toddlers.
- Clinical Context: In medical and psychological contexts, "night terror" is distinguished from nightmares. Night terrors occur during non-REM sleep (usually stage 3), while nightmares occur during REM sleep. The person experiencing a night terror is typically inconsolable and confused during the episode.
- The diagnosis was night terror disorder, as the episodes occurred during slow-wave sleep.
- Sleep terror: A more formal or clinical synonym for "night terror."
- Pavor nocturnus: The Latin medical term for night terror.
- Parasomnia: The broader category of sleep disorders that includes night terrors, sleepwalking, and nightmares.
- Nightmare: A bad dream that causes feelings of fear or horror, from which the sleeper typically wakes and can often recall details. (This is a related but distinct concept.)
- Sleep terror
- Peaceful sleep
- Untroubled sleep
- Nightmare (when contrasting the specific mechanisms and memory recall, though they are both disturbing sleep events)
The core meaning of "night terror" involves three key components: 1. It is a sleep event, not a waking fear. 2. It involves extreme terror or panic exhibited during sleep. 3. It is typically followed by no memory of the episode or any frightening dream content.
It should not be confused with general anxiety at night or a frightening thought before bed.
- an emotional episode (usually in young children) in which the person awakens in terror with feelings of anxiety and fear but is unable to remember any incident that might have provoked those feelings