Night terrors look terrifying. Here's what's happening and what to do.

You hear a scream and rush to your child's room in the middle of the night. They're sitting up, eyes open, obviously upset. But when you try to comfort them, nothing works. They don't seem to hear you. And in the morning, they remember none of it.

What you witnessed wasn't a nightmare. It was a night terror and according to Dr. Nikhil Nadkarni, Brightline's Chief Medical Officer and a board-certified psychiatrist, it's more common and less alarming than it looks. He recently spoke with Moms Who Think about what’s actually going on with your child during these moments and offered advice on how to handle it safely.

Night terrors vs. nightmares: what's the difference?

Dr. Nadkarni says that the easiest way to tell them apart is what happens after. With a nightmare, your child wakes up, remembers what scared them, and can describe it. With a night terror, they're often confused and have little to no memory of it the next morning.

Timing is another clue. Night terrors tend to happen in the first third of the night, while nightmares typically occur in the early morning hours. And night terrors come with physical symptoms, like screaming, rapid heart rate, and sweating, that nightmares generally don't.

Why can't your child remember it?

During a night terror, certain parts of the brain are active, including those tied to movement and emotion, while others, including memory and higher reasoning, are essentially offline. Your child may look awake. But they're not fully conscious of what's happening around them.

Should you try to wake them?

This is probably the question that you have top of mind at the moment that your child is going through this, and the answer is no. 

Waking a child during a night terror can actually prolong the episode or make it more intense. It can also trigger defensive physical reactions, like pushing, kicking, or hitting, because the child isn't fully aware of what's happening.

The best thing to do is stay close, move dangerous objects out of the way, keep them in a safe place by closing doors, and let the episode pass. It usually does within a few minutes.

Is it a sign of something more serious?

Probably not. Night terrors are generally not a sign of psychiatric or mental illness. Most children outgrow them by puberty, and they're commonly tied to developmental stage rather than underlying mental health concerns.

That said, Dr. Nadkarni says there are situations worth a call to your child's pediatrician:

• Your child snores or gasps for air during sleep

• Night terrors continue into adolescence

• Episodes last longer than 30 minutes or happen multiple times a night

• Your child shows aggressive behavior that could cause injury

• You notice repetitive movements that could signal a seizure

• Sleep disruption is affecting their mood or functioning during the day

Night terrors look frightening. They are not. What your child is going through is a well-understood, developmentally common experience. And the good news is that it’s one that most kids simply grow out of.

Read Dr. Nadkarni's full guidance in Moms Who Think: Is It Night Terrors or Just a Nightmare? What Parents Should Know About Childhood Sleep Issues