Is there a cure for night terrors?

Definition and diagnosis issues

Night terrors represent scary dreamsduring our sleep which may transfer to hallucinations somewherebetween being asleep and being awake. It also carries with it thedifficulty to regain consciousness after and during theseexperiences.

Being such an unusual condition, it isnot hard to understand that diagnosing it can be extremely hard, letalone trying to find a cure or a remedy of sorts for it. Doctors orpsychologists may firstly examine the person suffering from nightterrors by mere conversation. Through this process they will try tofind causes through possible traumatic experiences in the patient'spast and afterwards prescribe a therapy mostly involved with changingthe lifestyle of the person suffering from this condition.

Possible cures and useful advices

Doctors may give several advices andsuggest important changes of daily habits of their patients. Thesemostly require leading a more calm and peaceful life relieved of anykinds of stress since daily frustrations may easily be transferredinto our sleep, causing numerous disorders.

Since this condition mainly strikeschildren from the age of 3 to 5 or adolescents it is important fortheir parents or caretakers to keep them calm during nigh terrors.Talking to them gently, with a soft, relaxing and pleasant voice,hugging them and providing comfort while reassuring them that it issafe to go to back to sleep are all useful strategies. Also oneshould not ask the child what was the dream about but rather ignorethat fact and concentrate on putting him or her back to sleep.Understanding and support during this period is very important forboth small children and adolescents so be as helpful and supportiveas you can.

Night terrors, especially withchildren disappear in time. However, sometimes they might bepersistent and may need further action in order to relieve bothyounger and older people suffering from it.

Psychotherapy may be of greatassistance since it can pinpoint the exact cause of the night terrorand by counseling and different approaches it may relieve the patientfrom them.

Also, different medications may beprescribed. These are supposed to relieve night terrors by making youmore calm while sleeping, but many choose psychotherapy over it sinceit is far less risky.

Finally, the above mentioned lifestylealterations may be extremely helpful. Namely, if you have a childsuffering from this condition, pay attention to the time it strikesand wake the child before that time. This way you will stop thereoccurring frequency of the terrors and eventually stop the process.Also, provide as much comfort as possible since child's insecuritiesmay also be one of the reasons for this condition. With adults,stress most often being the cause try to be as calm as possible andexpose yourself to things that calm you, especially before you go tosleep.