Can Night Terrors Get Really Dangerous?

What causes night terrors and how do you get rid of them?

• My brother has recently moved in and is in my sisters old room. He has been having these dreams where everything seams like its real life and then all of the sudden he can't move. In one dream he could not move, and something evil was whispering into his ear. In another one he saw a dark figure at the bottom of his bed and it was sounded like it was tearing off flesh and eating it. There was also one where all he saw were shadows on the wall and when he woke up it was gone. He started sleeping on the couch and now all he is having are good dreams. He has had the night terrors before, but since he moved in it has come more frequent. In every nightmare he cannot move or talk. Can anyone help with this?

• Answer:

  Sounds like a case of "Sleep Paralysis".Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with sleep that may occur in healthy persons or may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occurs during REM sleep.Some evidence suggests that it can also, in some cases, be a symptom of migraine. Physiologically, sleep paralysis is closely related to REM atonia, the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Sleep paralysis occurs either when falling asleep, or when awakening. When it occurs upon falling asleep, the person remains aware while the body shuts down for REM sleep, and it is called hypnagogic or predormital sleep paralysis. When it occurs upon awakening, the person becomes aware before the REM cycle is complete, and it is called hypnopompic or postdormital.The paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes, with some rare cases being hours, "by which the individual may experience panic symptoms" (described below). As the correlation with REM sleep suggests, the paralysis is not entirely complete; use of EOG traces shows that eye movement is still possible during such episodes.When there is an absence of narcolepsy, sleep paralysis is referred to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP). In addition, the paralysis may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) (like dark shadows)and an acute sense of danger.Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual because of the vividness of such hallucinations.The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful or dream-like objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an explanation for reports of alien abductions and ghostly encounters.A study by Susan Blackmore and Marcus Cox (the Blackmore-Cox study) of the University of the West of England supports the suggestion that reports of alien abductions are related to sleep paralysis rather than to temporal lobe lability. Some authors have warned of the possible misconnection between child sexual abuse (CSA) and such phenomena and have noted that some clients, after having described such an event to a fortune teller or psychic, may have received the suggestion that it was a case of CSA. In surveys from Canada, China, England, Japan and Nigeria, 20% to 60% of individuals reported having experienced sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime.A study conducted by Sedaghat-Hamedani F. et al. has investigated the prevalence of sleep paralysis among Iranian medical students. 24.1% of students reported experiencing sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime. Comparable results were reported among Japanese, Nigerian, Kuwaiti, Sudanese and American students. Many people who commonly enter sleep paralysis also suffer from narcolepsy. Some reports read that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include: * Sleeping in a face upwards or supine position * Increased stress * Sudden environmental or lifestyle changes * A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode * Excessive consumption of alcohol coupled with lack of adequate sleep[18] Treatment starts with patient education about sleep stages and about the muscle atonia that is typically associated with REM sleep. It is recommended that patients be evaluated for narcolepsy if symptoms persist.