1. How is a Night Terror different from a Nightmare?

A night terror is not the same thing as a nightmare. Nightmares are literally very bad dreams and occur during the dream phase of sleep known as REM sleep. The circumstances of the nightmare will frighten the child, who usually will wake up with a vivid memory of a long movie-like dream.

Night terrors, on the other hand, occur during a phase of deep non-REM sleep. As the name implies it is a terror and occurs usually an hour or two after the child goes to bed. During a night terror, which may last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, the child is still asleep. The child’s eyes may be open, but she is not awake. When she does wake up, she will have no recollection of the episode other than a sense of fear.

2. Can I Help My Child During a Night Terror?

It is helpful to know that although these events may be disturbing for you, night terrors themselves are not harmful to your child. But because a child may get out of bed and run around the room, doctors do advise parents to gently restrain a child experiencing night terrors. Otherwise, let the episode run its course. Shouting and shaking your child awake will just agitate him more.

3. Can Night Terrors Be Prevented?

It is likely that if you or your spouse had night terrors, your child will too. Fatigue and psychological stress may also play a role in their occurrence. Make sure your child is getting plenty of rest. Be aware of things that may be upsetting to your child, and to the extent you are able, try to minimize the distress.

4. Is it true that what is spoken while sleep talking reflects our thought process?

Despite the theories of the various psychoanalysts and dream interpreters over the decades there is still little evidence that what we dream about, or talk about in our sleep, in any significant way reflects what is going on in our conscious mind. We tend to search too hard for the meaning of dreams but it is a mistake to take too literally what a sleep talker says.

5. If it is so then how come people mutter familiar names and places while sleep talking?

Some of the things in our dreams such as people or places may be connected to what is going on in our waking hours, but the events rarely are. Making our own theory to link them together could be dangerous.

6. Why is it that only some people are prone to sleep talking?

Dreams occur during REM sleep, and ordinarily when we dream our muscles are unreceptive to commands for movement—including our jaw and tongue muscles. One function, which this “muscular atonia” serves, is it prevents us from getting out of bed and actually acting out our dreams. The other is relaxation. Sleep talking is a common “partial failure” of this relaxation process.

7. What is the treatment for Sleep Talking?

Many of us occasionally mutter or grunt in our sleep, but it is not that common to speak at any length or frequently and it is very rare to talk night after night. However, some people seem to be more prone to talking at length during their sleep, which is usually harmless.

As long as the muscle activity during sleep is limited to talking - that is, the person is not getting out of bed and moving about the house - then the recommended treatment, unfortunately, usually is a pair of earplugs for the bed partner!