Fear in a dream, its causes, adult and children's night fears

What are night terrors and what causes them?

Night terrors in adults lead to instant awakening from a deep sleep phase, during which sudden body movements or screams occur. A person's heart rate and sweating increase, tremors occur, and nausea is possible.

Then he quickly gets out of bed with his eyes wide open, but at the same time he does not notice anything around him, his pupils do not react to light impulses. The brain begins to function fully, but communication is impossible. The patient is in shock and may injure himself or others.

Night terrors haunt people who are susceptible to parasomnia (sleep disorder) for up to 3-4 hours after falling asleep, when the deep phase of sleep dominates without dreams. Usually the episode lasts several minutes, after which the person falls asleep again and cannot remember anything in the morning.

Important! This distinguishes night terrors from nightmares, which are possible for everyone and are usually well remembered. At the same time, an adult is able to retell the plot he saw in a nightmare, from which he experiences unpleasant sensations and wakes up at night from a feeling of fear.

The following causes of such disorders are distinguished: hereditary, stress, physiological. The basis of psychological stress is the inability to cope with the situation that has arisen and to obtain timely protection. Evolutionarily, it turns out that now a person has no real stimuli at night, so internal restlessness begins to manifest itself.

Pediatricians' advice for treating nightmares

Pediatricians do not advise parents to worry about the appearance of night terrors, since such attacks are considered a completely normal phenomenon that contributes to the maturation of the psyche. Night terror that occurs in young children will help prevent adherence to certain daily routines and some bedtime rules.

Peaceful bedtime

Before going to bed, the child should be protected from TV and computer games. It is also recommended to create your own bedtime ritual, consisting of a relaxing bath and an obligatory fairy tale.

You can play relaxing music for your baby, but avoid bright lights, noise and aggressive sounds. You should not send your baby to bed hungry or with a full bladder. It is not recommended to give your child a lot of water to drink before bed because of the risk of the bladder filling up too quickly.

Sufficient rest

It is necessary to review the child's schedule and establish clear periods of sleep and wakefulness. A child under the age of 5 must sleep at least 3 hours during the day. Particular attention should also be paid to bedtime, not exceeding 9-10 pm.

You should not overload your baby with various fashionable early development clubs. It is quite enough if the baby just attends kindergarten.

Normalization of family relationships

Kids often tend to blame themselves for problems that arise between their parents, so mom and dad need to constantly repeat to the child that he is not at all to blame for their conflicts, and they love him very much.

Comfortable environment while sleeping

A sleeping baby should not be hot or cold, and if a child is afraid of the dark, then it is recommended to leave a night light in the bedroom that can drive away monsters hiding in the dark. From time to time, mom or dad needs to introduce the child to the dark, showing that there is absolutely no danger in a dark room. It is ideal if the baby has a friend with whom he sleeps. Any soft toy can play this role. She will become a kind of protector from bad dreams. The baby's bedroom should also be protected by curtains from harsh light and extraneous noise.

If attacks of night terror occur in a child at approximately the same time, then you can wake up the baby a few minutes before the expected attack, who will then fall asleep completely calmly. Night terror is a common problem that occurs in young children and is associated with instability of the nervous and mental system of the little person.

Manifested by heart-rending crying, rapid heartbeat and difficulty breathing, night tantrums are not dangerous and are a natural stage of learning about the world around us, as well as a way to teach a child to control his emotions. Over time, sleep problems disappear, and a stronger psyche becomes able to withstand not only horror films, but also any troubles in life.

The main signs of night fears in children and adults

Children's night terrors often occur after the age of 4, especially in children who are experiencing turbulent events and cannot cope with their feelings. Rare night terrors are considered normal, but if they recur for a week or longer, you should definitely contact a pediatrician and neurologist.

Genetic factors are considered the main sign of the manifestation of night fears; if this occurs in close relatives, then the patient will be helped by contacting a psychotherapist. Among the main signs is dysfunction of the thalamus (the part of the brain that is responsible for perception, understanding, memory, thinking and sensations).

These signs, combined with stress and anxiety, lead to behavioral disturbances and sleep disorders. Sometimes people show signs of sleepwalking at night, they can move around the apartment, fall asleep in an unexpected place, then it is necessary to take the relative back to bed and try to calm him down.

When to see a doctor

Night terror that accompanies a child’s growing up, in most cases, goes away on its own and does not require the use of any specific treatment.

You should only contact a specialist if:

nighttime stories have become more frequent and often disturb the sleep of the baby and his loved ones;
during night terror, the baby walks in his sleep and injures himself;
sleep problems have become the causes of insomnia and excessive sleepiness during the day;
Night terrors persist even after adolescence.

The occurrence of night tantrums can also be caused by the appearance of tonsils or ampoies, causing breathing problems. Certain medications prescribed to the baby can also trigger the appearance of night terrors. In any of these cases, it is recommended to consult with your pediatrician and then, if necessary, see a therapist or sleep consultant.

Features of diagnosing the disorder

To diagnose the disorder, the doctor evaluates the characteristic triad of mental, neurological and motor symptoms.

Sleep is suddenly interrupted by a scream between 1 and 3 hours after falling asleep, and the person gets out of bed with a grimace of horror on his face. Screaming, uncontrolled actions, chills and fever are possible.
Autonomic disorders occur: tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), mydriasis (dilated pupils).
When trying to calm down or put him back to sleep, the patient does not recognize anyone and does not respond to treatment.
The attack lasts from 1 to 10-15 minutes, after the end or in the morning the person does not remember anything about what happened.
Recurrences are unpredictable, perhaps a single manifestation or several attacks in one night.

A neurological examination does not reveal specific pathologies, mental abilities are at a normal level, but excessive emotional excitability and reactivity are possible.

As an instrumental examination, video-EEG monitoring (electroencephalography) and polysomnographic research are performed.

Prevention of childhood fears and nightmares

In the case of children's fears and nightmares (all kinds, and especially nighttime ones), there is no better way to avoid them than to give maximum parental attention to communication with the child.

Everything that is more or less significant happened to the baby during the day needs to be talked over and discussed with them. Perhaps, together we can draw the brightest and most memorable moments of the day.

It is very useful to read a book to your child, and at the end of the story, be sure to talk a little with your child about it. Moreover, any “incidents” (both real and fictitious) should be discussed, and not just those that are positive and wonderful from your point of view. If in the fairy tale you just read to your 5-year-old son, the cannibal devoured half a dozen peasants, this is also worth talking about: for example, invite the child to come up with a way to distract the cannibal and help the peasants escape, etc.

In general, according to child psychologists, conversations and conversations within the framework of the scenario “Let’s figure out what we can do so that...” are extremely useful for children in all respects. Firstly, such “games” develop logic and creative thinking, secondly, they teach the child empathy and compassion, and finally, they do not allow stress to accumulate. Which together helps to solve the problem of children’s nighttime fears and nightmares, sometimes more effectively than the most “abstruse” psychological “showdowns” in specialists’ offices...

Adequate live communication of a child with the outside world (and above all with his closest environment - with mom, dad and other household members) has a very beneficial effect on the disappearance of any childhood fears and nightmares.

And especially communication of this kind, in which you can discuss any life (and fictional!) situations with your child in a playful way.

Even if you are very busy or passionate about something, never refuse to communicate with your child just before bedtime - chat with him a little, sing a lullaby, read a good short story or tell your own, hug and kiss your baby good night... All these “maneuvers” are for you may seem like insignificant nonsense, but in reality they create a certain emotional background - a kind of shield - which will help the child’s psyche to successfully prevent the occurrence of childhood fears or nightmares.

In addition, for the successful correction of children's fears, certain physiological conditions are necessary:

The child should receive a certain physical activity every day (in other words, he should get tired not only emotionally during the day, watching cartoons on his mother’s tablet for hours, but also muscularly - the child should move actively!);
The child should spend enough time outdoors;
In the room where the child sleeps, you need to create a normal healthy microclimate - avoid excessive heat and stuffiness, ensure sufficient air humidity, eliminate all pungent odors, etc.;

How are night terrors treated?

In rare cases, tranquilizers with sedative, anticonvulsant, anti-anxiety, and relaxing effects are prescribed for treatment. Sessions of individual and family psychotherapy are more often used.

The behavior of others towards a person, and especially towards a child who is haunted by night terrors, should be as attentive and restrained as possible. It is unacceptable to scream, try to wake him up, shake him, wash him, or force him to put him back. This can increase nervous excitement and provoke relapses.

It is necessary to use soft and confident movements to keep the person from moving and direct him back to bed. You need to talk quietly, separately; you can turn on familiar, pleasant music for the child.

In the morning, there is no need to reproach him for walking at night or ask for details; detailing aggravates the state of the child’s psyche. In case of repeated attacks, you cannot treat the child yourself or make “conspiracies”. You should seek help from a pediatrician or child psychiatrist.

Attention! In this case, you should pay attention to the fear of darkness and loneliness that arises at the moment of falling asleep. If the child is calmed and put to sleep in a calm, friendly atmosphere, then negative impressions will not remain in the brain, which can become a catalyst for night terrors.

Panic attacks during sleep

The appearance of a panic attack at night, awakening for no reason and a state of paralysis, a feeling of increasing fear, even horror, is evidence of an imbalance in the nervous system . Experienced stress and undischarged negative emotions accumulate, creating the threat of a neurotic disorder.

A distinctive feature of panic attacks during sleep is a sudden and abrupt awakening, a combination of paroxysmal fear and severe anxiety with somatic symptoms.

Somatic symptoms of a nocturnal panic attack may include the following:

tachycardia,
tremor of the limbs,
increased sweating,
pressure and even pain behind the sternum,
suffocation,
dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract;
sudden change in body temperature
short-term complete or partial paralysis of the entire body.

A person who wakes up after a panic attack experiences fear and confusion and is usually inactive for the first two to three minutes. It is at this time that the amplitude of the attack increases. Next, the sense of self-preservation prompts: “something needs to be done.” Everyone tries to overcome an incomprehensible difficult condition on their own in different ways. Someone begins to breathe rapidly and pace around the room, someone rocks while sitting in bed, but everyone’s task is to moderate their pulse, stabilize their condition, drive away or suppress frightening and depressing thoughts. Since panic is associated with painful sensations in the heart area, some people mistakenly believe that these are harbingers of a heart attack and call an ambulance. Arriving health workers can rarely make a correct diagnosis. Underestimation of the severity of the patient's condition and accusations of malingering contribute to the worsening of the situation and the increase in panic attacks.

Panic attacks manifest at a young age: up to 35 years. Children and adolescents are also susceptible to this disease. It has been found that more than 50% of people suffer or have suffered from panic attacks. In approximately 10% of these patients, panic attacks occur during sleep.

Panic attacks most often occur between two o'clock in the morning (according to old belief, the Hour of the Ox or Demon is a time when the physiological activity of the body should be minimized) and four o'clock in the morning. A panic attack that wakes the patient in the morning guarantees that he will not fall asleep until the morning.

A panic attack lasts about ten minutes, on average up to half an hour. However, in order to recover from this severe condition, it often takes the whole night. The peak of the attack occurs in the first five minutes. In rare cases, the beginning of an attack coincides with its peak. After an instant awakening and awareness of what is happening, the person experiencing the attack tries to optimize his physical state and get out of the attack field. Therefore, a peak is often followed by a rapid decline. After a panic attack, a person feels overwhelmed.

Panic attacks tend to recur, with their frequency and amplitude increasing. Frequently recurring attacks during sleep torment the patient almost every night. Rarely recurring attacks occur up to once every 4–6 months. On average, nighttime panic attacks occur 2-3 times a week. Attacks rarely occur more than once a night, especially if they are severe panic attacks lasting half an hour or more with severe tachycardia, tremors, panic and loss of orientation in space.

Psychiatrists and somnologists cite the following among the main causes of panic attacks:

heredity (if there were neurotics in the family, then the patient may have a hereditary malfunction in the functioning of the cerebral cortex - an imbalance in the processes of excitation and inhibition);
alcoholism, drug addiction;
lack of calcium and serotonin (therefore, nursing mothers who consume large amounts of calcium reserves are at risk);
suffered serious illnesses, infections, intoxications, which slightly affected the functional activity of the brain;
work associated with constant stress (military, police);
work associated with unfavorable conditions for the nervous system (miner, subway driver, any employee working overtime or on a “every two days” schedule);
psychotrauma (loss of loved ones, being in a war or disaster zone, witnessing the traumatic death of another person);
psychoasthenic personality traits, increased lability, anxiety, impressionability;
vegetative-vascular dystonia;
hormonal imbalances (may be of a normative nature, for example, in adolescents, nursing mothers or persons undergoing treatment with hormonal drugs).

It is mistakenly believed that the cause of a panic attack in a dream can be a sudden nightmare. However, the precursors of panic attacks, on the contrary, can cause nightmares in sleep. This further weakens the nervous system and intensifies panic attacks. The danger of neurosis is that, being endogenous in nature, it creates a “vicious circle”: it causes obsessive thoughts and fears, which, in turn, contribute to the frequency and severity of attacks.

In addition to nightmares, nighttime panic attacks cause insomnia with imbalanced sleep patterns. The patient's ability to work and self-control are reduced. He becomes less intelligent, makes mistakes in situations where speed and accuracy are needed, and shows signs of self-isolation.

A person suffering from panic attacks in sleep is obsessed with obsessive thoughts and experiences - obsessions, which leads to an exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive neurosis with alarmingly phobic symptoms. Here are common intrusive thoughts and fears after panic attacks in sleep:

fear of death during an attack;
hypochondriasis, detection of symptoms of cardiovascular disease;
heightened experience of loneliness and rejection;
fear of a serious mental illness (neurotics, unlike patients with psychosis, remain self-critical and realize that not everything is okay with them);
negative thoughts about “I’m not like others.”

Hand in hand with obsessions go compulsions - strained, ritualistic, repetitive actions with the help of which a person suffering from panic attacks tries to alleviate his condition and get rid of obsessive thoughts and experiences.

If not treated promptly, panic attacks can lead to the development of a long-term neurotic disorder. And neuroses serve as catalysts for somatic diseases: coronary heart disease, hypertension, stomach ulcers, paralysis.

To cope with a nighttime panic attack, you need to follow simple recommendations:

breathe regularly and frequently, with deep exhalations and shallow inhalations (the “through a comb” breathing technique, which obstetricians recommend using during childbirth);
make a “calming cocktail”: take ten drops of valerian, motherwort, lemon balm into half a glass of water (you can also add valocardine: not all doctors will approve, but this is an effective remedy);
It is worth conducting a course of treatment using herbal medications (such as Novopassit, Mikstura Quatera) or anti-anxiety drugs of limited systemic effect (Afobazol). Potent psychoactive drugs do not need to be prescribed to patients with this form of neurosis. Sedatives are also excluded: they can cause an imbalance in the processes of sleep and wakefulness and, conversely, increase panic attacks during sleep.

When certain muscle groups are tense, you need to tighten them even more, count to fifteen and sharply release the tension.

Advice to “calm down, pull yourself together” during a panic attack is not only meaningless, but harmful. They form in the patient the idea that they do not believe him, that his condition is pathological, something is wrong with him, and no one will help.

Children experience panic attacks during sleep quite often. Suspicious, anxious, introverted children are at risk. The child may suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying. The first thing to do is hug and caress the child, ask him about what scared him. If there is no apparent reason (such as a nightmare) and the child cannot explain his condition, then it is likely that he is having a panic attack. Under no circumstances should you scold a child, shout at him, “educate” him, leaving him alone in a dark room, or demand that he “pull himself together.” Neurotic conditions and other pathologies in children develop quickly and last a lifetime. It is necessary to consult a child psychiatrist. Timely treatment, group psychotherapy or individual sessions with a psychologist can solve the problem in a short time.

Parents of a child diagnosed with panic attacks during sleep should think about the psychological atmosphere at home. Obvious reasons for psychological distress in the family can be:

parental divorce;
recent death of a relative;
overprotection and overcontrol on the part of parents;
conflicts, scandals, frequent quarrels in the family;
other children, because of which less attention is given to the suffering child.

Knowing the exact cause makes it easier to eliminate its negative consequences for the child. If the parents are divorced, you will have to work together with the parent who has less contact with the child. The seriousness of the situation must be conveyed to him. Quarrels in a two-parent family need to be stopped; for this purpose, both spouses can turn to a family psychologist. For any of the above reasons, all the care and attention of family members should be directed to the child suffering from panic attacks.

It is most difficult to help a child when the cause is unclear, but the family seems prosperous. It is necessary to find out what can depress and frighten a child. This will be helped by a psychodiagnostic examination using projective techniques. The child will be asked to draw a kinetic drawing of a family, a tree or a non-existent animal. When disturbing details appear (shading on the bark of a tree, claws and fangs on an animal, partial darkening on a person’s body, self-isolation in a collective drawing), you should focus on these details and ask what they mean.

Psychological assistance is also aimed at adults. Deep (psychoanalysis according to the method of S. Freud) and behavioristic (developed by animal psychologists based on the experiments of Academician I.P. Pavlov, including cognitive, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy) directions offer systemic help in overcoming panic attacks in sleep.

To prevent repeated panic attacks, you should:

before going to bed, take a warm bath with sea salt or pine extract;
soak your feet in hot water with lavender oil to help you sweat;
do not drink alcohol at night (it is better not to drink at all);
exclude coffee from the diet, especially in the evening;
drink a glass of warm milk with honey before bed;
drink decoctions of lavender, linden blossom, and mint flowers.

To prevent panic attacks during sleep, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle, take light (without physical activity) walks before bed, take a warm bath at night, and a cool shower in the morning. You should sleep in a ventilated room on a comfortable sleeping place: moderately soft, moderately hard (not on a feather bed, but not on a board). The pillow should be small, comfortable, and elastic. There is no need to watch heavy films (horror, action films, drama) at night. You need to go to bed before 11 pm.

If the nervous system and body are normal, there is no reason for nighttime panic attacks, and they will never bother a person.

Measures to prevent night terrors

It is advisable during the day to avoid situations that cause overexcitation, anxiety or aggression, or constant stress. Sustainable psychological comfort is the basis for productive life and normal sleep.

For the correct formation of mental processes in childhood, it is very important to observe both morning and evening rituals, which seem to limit the conscious period of life. The procedure for preparing for bed provides for full communication, substantive consideration of problematic or conflict situations. Reading, calm music, a comfortable bed and a favorable, relaxing atmosphere help.

Night terrors cannot be controlled or predicted, but if you follow the rules of family communication and are attentive to the child’s requests, you can reduce the load and stabilize mental processes. Then all brain functions are normalized, including falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up.

Additional recommendations

What do psychotherapists recommend to nyctophobes in order to somehow reduce the level of anxiety and improve the quality of life:

Do not watch horror films, do not read creepy and dark works, do not listen to scary stories.
Don't look at your news feed in the afternoon.
Breathe more fresh air, exercise, eat right - lead a healthy lifestyle.
Communicate with pleasant, positive people.
Don't allow bad thoughts.
Do yoga, meditation, breathing exercises.
Arrange the interior of the apartment in light colors. All rooms should have good lighting.
Listen to pleasant music.
Before going to bed, give up gadgets.
Leave the night light on while you sleep.

Most often, a nycphobe is not able to cope with a scourge alone. He needs help and support from loved ones. Therefore, the latter also need to follow some recommendations of psychotherapists:

do not enter into arguments with a nyctophobe about the fact that his fears are stupid and unfounded;
do not ridicule his suffering;
do not focus on the phobia;
don’t force yourself to overcome your fear;
Don't treat him like a patient.

Treatment should be comprehensive: work with a psychotherapist + self-reflection + help from loved ones. As practice shows, 2-3 months of such collective work are enough for a complete recovery.