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I have Fibromyalgia, OA and Depression. I am trying to raise awareness of these and other similar debilitating illnesses. Remember - They may not be able to see our pain, but YOU can feel it...and they can't prove it isnt there !!! YOU are human...YOU have rights...YOU have the right to be heard - TALK - SHOUT - DONT STAY QUIET - LETS MAKE THEM HEAR US !! All the content featured on this site belongs to me and permission for use of any of my photos, images, names or blogposts is required.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

NightTerrors and Nightmares.....


So what is the difference ?

Since we were kids we have woken in the middle of night after a nightmare – maybe even woken ourselves screaming at the insane and fearful images our mind produces when we sleep.

For those of us who suffer from night terrors the difference is substantial. Whilst it is recorded that night terrors are more common in children, more and more adults are coming forward to tell their stories.

For me a night terror may often start as a nightmare, but the fear I feel can stay with me for hours after I wake up. I may even wake and physically FEAR going back to sleep. I have been known to scream myself awake or simply shock myself awake, gasping for a breath, heart racing, sweat pouring off me.

On the flip side to this, there is the fear of actually going to bed/sleep because of previous experiences. Such as nightmares, pain, lack of sleep, body temperature fluctuations.

Many people with illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, Lupus, and other such autoimmune diseases and syndromes will suffer from night terrors. Why? Well, for me I think it is because our minds often work differently to those people without these conditions. We may suffer from anxiety, depression and OCD, all of which cause FEAR thoughts and irrational, illogical ideas we cant control. I am no doctor or scientist, but I know what I have experienced and I have heard from others regarding this too and it does seem to tie together in many instances. There is of course the medication issue, as mentioned on the 2 sites quoted below. For those of us with these conditions and others, medication will always play a part in our lives both positive and negative.

Please note the above is my personal opinion and experience of these Night Terrors. The following is medical/scientific information obtained from the internet.

What causes Night Terrors ? Who suffers from them ?
Research has led me to find the following information some of you may find useful :

The following is taken from the website: http://sleep.lovetoknow.com/Night_Terrors_in_Adults where you can read more about Night Terrors for yourself.

Causes of Night Terrors in Adults

“There seems to be a genetic link in night terrors. It is not uncommon for several members of the same family to have experienced night terrors as children, or later in life as adults.
There does seem to be a link between mental disorders and sleep terrors in adults even though there does not seem to be a link between the two for children. Researchers have found that adults with night terrors may also have a medical history of one of the following problems:

Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder

Even if an adult with night terrors does not have a mental disorder, they are likely to have other sleep disorders, medical conditions and lifestyle issues such as:

Sleep disorders:

Sleep deprivation
Obstructive sleep apnea (apnoea)

Medical conditions:

Hyperthyroidism (overproduction of thyroid hormones)
Migraine headaches
Head injury
Encephalitis (brain swelling)
Stroke
Premenstrual period
Bloated stomach
Some types of medications

Lifestyle issues:

Physical or emotional stress
Travel anxiety such as sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings
Alcohol use and abuse
Noise or light

Night terrors are believed to be caused by a chemical reaction in the brain that causes the sleeper to experience very frightening dreams. The terrors usually start about ninety minutes after the sleeper has fallen asleep when they are entering stage four of their sleep cycle. When a sleeper takes a sleep test in a sleep lab, sleep researchers are able to see a dramatic increase in the amount of brain activity during the night terror episode. This activity will continue to show on their monitors while the sleeper is visually showing the fear of the night terror episode.”

The following is taken from the website: http://www.nightterrors.org/mot.htm where you can read more about Night Terrors for yourself.

“Although night terrors can occur anytime in a persons life span, the most common is reported in children between the ages of three and five. (However more recent studies have turned up showing that many adults as well as children as young as six months experience night terrors on a weekly basis.) Night terrors usually occur fifteen minutes to one hour after going to sleep. I personally experience mine at just about the 45 minute mark. The longer the person is in NREM (the stages before REM) before the night terror strikes, the more petrified they will be when it occurs. Keep in mind though not everyone falls to sleep in the same amount of time as others. This makes a sleep study about the only way of determining what stage of sleep you are in when these events occur.

Night terrors have been shown to appear in stage 4 of sleep. This is just one thing that separates them from nightmares which can occur anytime in sleep. It is possible to make a night terror occur in some people, simply by touching or awakening them during stage 4 of sleep. Why night terrors occur is still a mystery. The mind is supposed to be practically void during the deeper stages of sleep. Most sufferers will awake gasping, moaning, crying but more often screaming.
Breathing rapidly they will sit up in bed with a wide eyed terror filled stare. This panic will often last anywhere from five to twenty minutes. I find the most amazing aspect of night terrors is that it generates a heart rate of 160 to 170 beats per minute. This is much faster than the normal heart rate that can be attained under most stressful circumstances.

Some things that can help bring out a night terror are stress, medications that affect the brain, (It is hard to list exactly which ones) being over-tired or eating a heavy meal before going to bed. Combining all of the above I can usually guarantee an occurrence for myself. Many different medical ailments contribute to the frequency of Night Terrors. The listed items DO NOT cause night terrors, they just seem to put your body into the state where a night terror can manifest itself. People without night terrors will not have a night terror just by trying the above.

There seems to be a common thread in how night terrors manifest themselves. Many people who remember the night terror have talked about seeing animals or people. Most people describe the person that they see as dark and shadowy and feel that the person is going to hurt them. Quite a few people see snakes and spiders. At first I thought people were seeing only things they are afraid of during waking hours. After more research I found that only a small percentage of people were afraid of what they see (in night terrors) during waking hours.”