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Mental Health > Sleep Disorders Forum > What causes Night Terrors?
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Q: What causes Night Terrors?
asked by: DoctorQuestion on May 8th, 2006
I have been waking up, in sort of a "Night terror". I do not wake up screaming, or frozen. I seem to rise up out of bed, and fear that I am not breathing, or maybe losing oxygen. I also fear that I am alone. I will get out of bed and run downstairs, because my wife is usually still up (I go to bed early). I cannot remember previous episodes, but last nights event, I was sweaty. Withen a minute or two, I feel fine, and go back to sleep, and sleep through the entire night without any other occurances.

I have just started a log of these events, to see what I did that day, to maybe trigger the event.

My worry is that, if I go to a doctor, they will just prescribe a medication, and I want to see if there is a way to help without drugs.


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Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov , MD
replied on May 26th, 2006
Sleep Disorders Answer A983
It seems that you are experiencing a psychiatric disorder. Medications are not the only cure for mental dis-eases. Psychotherapy can be even more successful than drugs. You can visit a psychiatrist or mental health professional to begin to explore the roots and causes for the night terror episodes.


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