Causes

Sleep terrors are classified as a parasomnia — an undesirable behavior or experience during sleep. Sleep terrors are a disorder of arousal, meaning they occur during N3 sleep, the deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Another NREM disorder is sleepwalking, which can occur together with sleep terrors.

Various factors can contribute to sleep terrors, such as:

• Sleep deprivation and extreme tiredness
• Stress
• Sleep schedule disruptions, travel or sleep interruptions
• Fever

Sleep terrors sometimes can be triggered by underlying conditions that interfere with sleep, such as:

• Sleep-disordered breathing — a group of disorders that include abnormal breathing patterns during sleep, the most common of which is obstructive sleep apnea
• Restless legs syndrome
• Some medications
• Mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety
• In adults, alcohol use