Night terrors are characterized by episodes of crying, screaming or moaning during the night. The person appears awake and afraid but is actually asleep although the eyes are open. It is also accompanied by increased heart beat, breathing rate and sweating. Night terror is particularly common among children; although adults also experience this problem.

 It is different from a nightmare which occurs during deep REM sleep. After a nightmare, one usually has a vivid picture of the situation which triggered it.  Night terrors occur during non-REM sleep and the patient usually does not have any idea about what exactly made them so scared. They only remember that they experienced a profound sense of fear. This can last anywhere between 3 minutes to 3 hours.

Recurrent night terrors disrupt sleep patterns and result in sleep disorders. People who experience this problem have difficulty sleeping at night and staying awake during the day. As a matter of fact, night terrors are strongly associated with narcolepsy and insomnia. The best way to deal with this is to get sufficient rest and maintain good sleep and diet habits. If night terrors have become a habit, awakening the person before the time of the episode will help break the cycle.