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.

Cluster Episodes Of Sleep Terrors With Injuries

by Adrienne
(Oregon)

I am a 29 y/o female that has been having sleep issues for approx. 8 years. My terrors seem to come in clusters. I will go for quite awhile without having them and then I will have them for many nights in a row. I have injured myself (dislocated shoulder, gashed head, etc.) while trying to "escape" from my bed during these episodes. One very odd thing I have is that I tend to remember what my terror was about if I fully wake up. Other times I only know that I had one if I am told the next morning. I usually feel physically exhausted when I wake up the next morning if I have had an episode. My terrors always involve people. I am at a loss as to why these terrors started or how to make them stop.

Comments for Cluster Episodes Of Sleep Terrors With Injuries

Click here to add your own comments

Dec 21, 2010
 coud be RBD
by: Mary Lou

You may have REM behaviour sleep disorder. There is lots of info on this disorder on the web and at this site. I have had RBD for years. There is medication that helps---you will have to go to a sleep clinic, get a diagnosis and the dr. will prescribe clonazepam (in Canada-
-I this it is called Klonapin?? in the US) Melatonin also helps. So does Gaba Pentin. Don't eat spicy, sweet, or heavy foods after 7:00 p.m.Hope this helps
Apr 10, 2012
 sporadic night terrors NEW
by: Kimber

I have sporadic night terrors myself. I have not hurt myself, but I have hurt my husband. This is all new to me. I am 36yrs old. Never had them before and it does not run in my family. I remember my episodes vividly and with all the research I have done, there is not much that can be done about it. Get a sleep study done and maybe medication will help, but as they are not frequent that may be something you don't want to do. The meds won't stop all the episodes so I don't see the point. If you are religious at all, praying does help. It helps calm me and I feel less afraid. Hope you are doing better and I will keep you in my prayers.
Mar 26, 2013
 65 year old with night terrors NEW
by: Sharon

I just started having these terrors a few month ago. Would not even know about them if not for my husband telling me next morning. He says I yell and keep saying no, no, no. He tries to wake me until I stop. I don't remember anything about the whole thing. I can not even remember what the dream was. It is starting to worry me a lot. Some mornings I feel like I didn't get any sleep.
Aug 12, 2015
 indescribably terrifying dreams NEW
by: Anonymous

I am 36 yrs old and have experienced what I would call the "night terrors" I've had indescribably terrifying. I only have one once every couple years or so and have documented and exactly remember all of them. The situations have all been different except for one common detail in that most of them involve facial morphing that is so horrifying that it goes 1000 times beyond anything I have viewed in any movie. The last one was about a year and a half ago and involved me in an extremely run down house/building that I have never seen before. I encountered a woman and somehow was seeing her thoughts which were of her mutilated children with the insane faces. She stared at me and calmly said "get out of my head" over and over until she was screaming it with the most comprehendible but inhuman voice volume, unduplicatable.. I woke barely able to breathe, crying and sweating profusely as is the case everytime. Why?

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.