The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Adult Sleep Terrors Every Night

by Albina
(Australia)

Hi to all. What a relief to know that I'm not the only one to experience adult night terrors. My experiences are very disturbing to me and are getting worse as time goes on.


I have also seen shadows and faces, also animals and the latest with blood red faces, as well as people lunging at me or standing beside the bed even bending over me, the latest one was of a woman beside my bed holding a baby.

The curtains in my bedroom also take on a human shape at times. I have also found myself looking at my hands and seeing a white aura radiating from each finger. I have got to the stage where I actually get angry and hit out at them and tell these shadows etc to get lost and leave me alone. I seem to be fully awake at these times and have gone to the bathroom then back to bed and straight to sleep.

My husband often asks me, "Who were you fighting with this time?" I remember everything the next morning. This happens about 5 times a week and on each night I can experience around 3 different episodes. I have a good happy life and marriage. Is there any help out there or am I destined to being locked up... Ally..

Comments for Adult Sleep Terrors Every Night

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 13, 2011
 Erasing Sleep Terrors
by: Anonymous

I find that if I can remove myself emotionally from the event, it tends to take the power out of it. One method is to just "notice" what is going on and how it makes you feel. This sounds simplistic, but it can sometimes work. Try not to let these situations have power over you. Remove yourself and just find them "interesting". They seem to get more power from your fear. Good luck, and I hope this helps.
Jim
Portland, OR
Jun 16, 2015
 Sleep screams NEW
by: Anonymous

I'm 43 and never had a problem w/this before now it's almost nightly. My husband has to go to the couch sometimes because it happens so many times. U remark doing it sometimes and remember him waking me up. As I'm screaming u know I'm screaming but can't stop it. I have no idea what triggered this to happen but don't like it. I do take amvien but I don't think that's the issue since I've taken it for years do to my constant changing swing shift schedule. It's really strange that it happened all of the sudden
Sep 11, 2015
 unrecalled terrors NEW
by: Anonymous

I am 64 years old and have been having night terrors for at least the last 3-4 years. I scream and physically thrash around and have even bitten and hit my husband several times. However, I cannot remember a single thing... absolutely nothing..
Dec 30, 2015
 Off n on for years NEW
by: Anonymous

This happens to me especially if I drink, like just a few beers , I live by myself I will yell at times n it wakes me up hear lately I start kicking at someone in the room which there isn't , I jumped up out of bed last night and hit my head bad on window beside bed seems like I can't sleep then get so tired I'm I between awake and sleep , I'm so tired and worried about what is going on with me , can anyone help??

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Stories of Sleep Terrors.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.