I had a night terror and i can't go back to sleep.

Question

i had a night terror..i call it this because i heard these are what are worse than nightmares and bad dreams.

a night terror from my perspective is having a vision of something that seems real. i could've sworn my eyes were wide open and i saw something. i couldn't make out what it was..but it was so horrid that i woke up screaming bloody murder and crying. surprisingly my parents didn't hear me? which i thought was interesting. my throat is throbbing from screaming so loud and i already have strep throat so that doesn't help my throat. i know for a fact i screamed because my dog sleeps next to me and he jumped..didn't bark though..and he usually barks when he hears something in the middle of the night, which i also thought was strange.

i haven't had a night terror for about 3 months id say. i used to have them all the time when i was with my ex bf.

i feel like they are coming back and this one is the first of many and i'm really scared. i don't understand them..why it seems like my eyes are literally open and i see the object above me in my bedroom. it seems so real. i woke up not being able to breathe.

please help with any info on this and how i can prevent this from happening again..because its horrifying. i can't go back to sleep..i'm afraid. =[

no rude answers please..i couldn't be more serious about this question.

Answer 1

I used to have night terrors all the time. I'd wake up screaming, sweating and flailing, it always seemed so real. If you need to, put a lamp beside your bed so you can turn it on if you get scared.

When I used to have them, they were very vivid. I'd wake up not knowing if they were real. I had a dream I was bitten by a shark once, that it took my arm, and I woke up and I had been sleeping on my arm wrong and it hurt somethin awful because it had fallen asleep.

Dont eat right before bed, give yourself an hour, hour and a half. Also, dont eat spicy foods before bed, I've had several people tell me this gives you nightmares and/or night terrors. And sometimes, a night terror or nightmare is the bodys way of saying 'Hey! Wake up!' maybe you have to use the bathroom or your sleeping in a funny way (I.E, you may be like me and sleep on your arms in awkward ways)

While night terrors are very scary, dont let them keep you from getting sleep. When I had them, I went and got my cat and pet him until I fell back to sleep. Find something comforting, hug your pillow or have a glass of warm tea or warm milk before going back to sleep.

Theres no way to keep yourself from having them, im sorry to say. But dont let it scare you, keep in mind its not real and repeat that to yourself over and over, no matter how scary it was, whatever it was cant get you.

(Also, dont dwell on the dream when your trying to get back to sleep, think of something happy, a funny joke a friend of yours said or something, think of a fun time you had with a couple pals.)

Hope this helped a little, good luck.

Edit- Going to a therapist or counselor isnt always the case. Sometimes the dreams will go away by themselves. No use paying someone who will tell you its just stress.

Answer 2

you remember your night terrors?

When I had them I didn't even know what happened. My Mom said I would wake up screaming and then fall back down on my bed and sleep. Like it never happened. I'm sure it's different for other people though.

I do remember waking up and not being able to move and seeing horrific things in my room. It felt like i was screaming and i threw my voice out a few times, but I wasn't screaming. When I popped out of it I would be out of breath and crying. Thats called sleep paralysis, and you might be experiencing that as well with night terrors.

I started taking Melatonin to help regulate my sleep, and it helped a lot.

So try that out you can get it in the vitamin section.

Edit: Sleep paralysis and night terrors walked hand in hand for me, and it might be for you too. that is If you have ever felt they way I described. The Melatonin helped but my night terrors went away on there own. I just had to rough it out. The answer above me is right. Therapist don't help at all. Waste of money. To get back to sleep think of anything peaceful. May be write how you feel (I did that) Or I would watch TV for a bit till it put me to sleep.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone on Y/A can help you with this. I think you should go to see the counselor. They might can solve this problem.

Answer 4

It sounds like you are have sleep parylization episodes, they are scarry but harmless,look them up and it will explain them to you,and see if that is what you are going through.