Nightmare Vs. Night Terrors: Check Out The Differences!

By Shivam B

In terms of comparing night terrors and nightmares, many people think that they both are the same. But the fact is night terrors are comparatively super intense than nightmares. These are considered to be two different sleep conditions with some differences to look for.

Image: medium.com

Nightmares: You Might Experience More Frequently.

Unpleasant dreams are common, and around 50% to 85% of adults have reported experiencing this, as reported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. If any of you have been lucky enough to avoid nightmares, it’s good because no one wants to experience bad dreams. Gradually, they tend to get terrifying. Can you imagine a nightmare like a scary movie where there’s a build-up? Well, a few signs that will tell you how to deal with nightmares are:

The dream revolves around threats to your survival, safety, or something disturbing.

Your heart pounds and you sweat

You can’t fall back asleep again.

Night Terrors: They Are Less Common Nightmares

Image: medium.com

Night terrors are also counted as parasomnia and are a type of disorder that happens because of abnormal occurrences of sleep. It involves sudden bouts of intense fear, thrashing around, and screaming while sleeping. Night terrors can affect kids more compared to adults, as per the Mayo Clinic. Nearly 40% of children experience night terrors. It is common in people with anxiety disorders, stress, sleep deprivation, fever, etc.

Well, these are the differences between these two terrible nighttime occurances. We imagine that while most of us have experienced nightmares, and the relief that we feel when we wake up, night terrors are something we never want to experience.