High anxiety: Diagnosing reason for screams is key to night terrors

Night terrors are not associated with skeletons jumping out of closets. Nor is it the fear of Jason's machete in Friday the 13th.

In fact, those who experience night terrors won't remember a thing at all. It is more likely that another person in the bed or household will be alarmed by the thrashing or screaming. Those with night terrors may notice the pillows on the floor and the covers in an upheaval when they awake in the morning. On very rare occasions, a person might notice sore knuckles and a hole in the wall.

“Patients do not recall their sleep terror episodes, but people who experience nightmares can recall their dreams,” said Dr. Andre Aguillon, a UToledo Health sleep medicine specialist.

If the night terrors lead to movement outside the bed, the parasomnia is elevated to the le