What Are Night Terrors?

Night terrors are episodes of intense fear, screaming, or thrashing that occur during deep sleep in children — different from nightmares because the child is not fully awake and has no memory of the event.

A night terror can be deeply frightening for parents to witness. A child who was peacefully asleep suddenly sits up screaming, appears panicked, has eyes wide open — and yet is completely unreachable. They do not respond to comfort, may push parents away, and settle back to sleep as if nothing happened.

The next morning, the child has no memory of the episode at all.

Night Terrors vs. Nightmares

This is the most important distinction parents need to understand:

The child having a night terror is not suffering in the way they appear to be. They are in deep sleep — the distress visible to a parent is not consciously experienced by the child.

What Causes Night Terrors in Children

Night terrors arise from an incomplete arousal during the transition out of deep sleep. The child's brain is partly waking but not fully, creating a confused middle state.

Common triggers include:

• Overtiredness — the most consistent trigger; a child who has missed sleep or napped poorly is more likely to have a night terror
• Illness or fever — disrupts normal sleep architecture
• Sleep schedule disruption — travel, time zone changes, irregular bedtimes
• Stress or anxiety — major life changes (new sibling, starting school)
• Full bladder — a common and easily addressed trigger
• Sleep regression — periods of developmental upheaval disturb deep sleep patterns
• Genetics — night terrors run strongly in families; if a parent had them, children are more likely to as well

What Age Do Night Terrors Happen?

Night terrors are most common between ages 3 and 8, with a peak around ages 4–5.

They are rare in children under 2 and typically resolve on their own by late childhood as sleep architecture matures.

Night terrors that begin in adolescence or adulthood are less common and may warrant a review by a doctor.

What to Do During a Night Terror

The instinct to comfort a child in distress is powerful, but intervening too actively during a night terror can extend it or cause more agitation.

Do:

• Stay close and ensure the child is physically safe (cannot fall or hurt themselves)
• Speak calmly and quietly — even if the child cannot respond, a familiar voice may help
• Wait it out — most episodes resolve within 5–15 minutes
• Gently guide the child back to lying down if they are standing or thrashing

Do not:

• Try to wake the child — this often extends the episode and causes greater disorientation
• Restrain them firmly — light guiding touch is fine, but holding them down increases agitation
• Ask them what they saw or felt — they are not aware; asking creates confusion on waking
• Turn on bright lights — sudden sensory input can extend the arousal

After the episode, the child will usually settle back into calm sleep within minutes.

How to Reduce Night Terrors

Since night terrors are triggered by disrupted deep sleep, the most effective prevention strategies focus on sleep quality and consistency:

• Protect sleep — ensure the child is getting adequate total sleep for their age and not accumulating overtiredness
• Consistent bedtime — irregular sleep schedules are a significant trigger
• Early bedtime — counterintuitively, an earlier bedtime often reduces night terror frequency by reducing overtiredness
• Scheduled awakening — if night terrors happen at the same time each night, briefly waking the child 15–20 minutes before the typical terror time can interrupt the pattern
• Address daytime stressors — if a life change is triggering the episodes, extra connection and reassurance during the day helps
• Calm bedtime routine — a consistent bedtime routine including a calming bedtime story reduces bedtime arousal and supports smoother entry into deep sleep