I scream at night in my sleep: why does this happen?

Panic attacks at night are sudden attacks of anxiety and fear (most often fear of death) that occur at night or during sleep and are accompanied by severe autonomic symptoms - palpitations, a feeling of shortness of breath, heavy sweating, dizziness. Regular panic attacks are called panic disorder.

The causes of panic attacks during sleep are still unknown. It is believed that they are based on a disruption of the functioning of biologically active substances (norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid). In 15% of cases, there is a hereditary predisposition when similar conditions occur in close relatives.

A psychotherapist diagnoses and treats panic attacks.

Provoking factors include:

severe stress, conflicts, childhood experiences and psychological trauma
abuse of strong coffee, alcohol
excessive physical activity, mental stress
hormonal metabolism disorders, injuries and previous infectious diseases of the brain

Less common are panic attacks with two or three symptoms, the so-called minor attacks. They are not accompanied by a feeling of fear and imitate other diseases - heart pathology, dysfunction of the endocrine glands (for example, the thyroid gland).

Such patients have been observed and treated for a long time by therapists, cardiologists and neurologists with a diagnosis of VSD or neurocirculatory dystonia. If treatment from other specialists helps poorly or has no effect at all, you need to consult a psychotherapist.

Possible reasons

Long-term stress can lead to screaming in your sleep
If you are familiar with the phrase “I scream at night in my sleep,” you probably wondered what could precede such a phenomenon, what exactly contributed to your screaming at night. If we consider such manifestations in adults, the following factors may be to blame:

nightmare;
abrupt awakening, which led to fright;
the result of prolonged stress - when a person is in constant stress or worries for a long time;
taking certain medications can also affect the appearance of such a phenomenon as screaming in the middle of the night;
bad habits can also negatively affect night's sleep;
the consequence of a disrupted daily routine;
long-term use of sedative medications or their abrupt withdrawal;
the presence of conditions unsuitable for the sleeper, for example, high humidity or too high room temperature;
the result of high body temperature is screaming during fever;
manifestation of a neurological disorder;
presence of mental illness.

Separately, it is worth considering two points that are often displayed in adults.

Scream only in the presence of other people. There are cases when a person, being in the same room or bed with a certain person, begins to scream in his sleep. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that a certain person provokes an attack of night screaming. The person does not feel safe next to him, perhaps experiencing a threat, accompanied by anxiety and irritation. At the same time, in the daytime he doesn’t even know about it. His subconscious signals in a similar non-standard way.
The result of alcohol abuse. Often a cry in the middle of the night is heard from a person who has taken alcohol the day before. The fact is that drinking alcohol while intoxicated is considered to be similar to anesthesia. In some parts of the cerebral cortex, inhibition occurs, resulting in a night cry.

If we consider the situation in children, the following points may occur:

the smallest screaming through their sleep may indicate a desire to refresh themselves;
may be a consequence of daytime impressions, which manifest themselves in a similar way in a child’s fragile nervous system;
the consequence of watching cartoons or films before bed, which had a disturbing effect on an impressionable child.

Characteristic manifestations

When we talk about screaming in a dream, we can consider certain situations.

The man speaks in a raised voice. At the same time, it seems that he is turning to someone or calling for help. Those who are nearby at this moment may get the impression that the person has awakened.
Loud utterances can be clear or incoherent depending on the stage of sleep.
The person screams, cries or waves his arms. This behavior is especially noted in the case of a nightmare or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The sleeping person gets out of bed and begins to scream or ask questions. Symptoms similar to sleepwalking

Despite the fact that in most cases, night screaming is not a threat to human health or his life, there are still certain situations when this phenomenon gives cause for concern:

daily nightmares that persist for a long time;
the appearance of sleepwalking;
the onset of teeth grinding;
suffocation in sleep;
temperature rise above 38 degrees;
the appearance of trembling attacks during periods of calm.

It is important to understand that such manifestations may indicate serious abnormalities in the body, the presence of pathological processes. Initially, you can seek help from a neurologist; if necessary, this specialist will redirect you to a psychologist, psychotherapist or somnologist.

Psychologist's advice

If a person screams in a dream, this may be a sign of a subconscious desire to express his emotions in reality to some person. Showing negative feelings is rarely welcomed in society. A person, for various reasons (upbringing, fear of punishment, secondary benefit) tries to hide his true emotions from others, and often he successfully hides them from himself. It could be fear, rage, resentment, irritation. In this case, only by realizing and openly expressing your feelings can you get rid of sleep problems.

To begin with, you can use “safe” methods, for example, opening up to a friend or writing a letter to a person, expressing everything in it, and then burning it. If necessary, the process can be repeated until the parasomnia symptoms disappear.

To avoid screaming in fear at night, try to figure out its causes during the day.

For those people who do not fully understand why they scream in their sleep, what emotions they suppress, psychologists recommend doing the following exercise.

Take a comfortable, relaxed position, close your eyes, and even out your breathing. Find one of the most pleasant and joyful memories in your memory and enjoy it.
Then you should remember your feelings after waking up. What is it – fear, anxiety, malice, anger? Where are these feelings located in the body? How can they be described by visualization? Color, size, smell, weight?
If these emotions could talk, what would they say?

As a rule, at this stage it becomes clear what a person is afraid of or what makes him angry.

What to do when screaming in your sleep, when psychotherapy does not help and the attacks are severe:

drug treatment is recommended (taking sleeping pills and sedatives, nootropics under the supervision of a doctor);
physiotherapy (massage, mud therapy, relaxing baths, electrosleep);
vitamin therapy (taking B vitamins, magnesium, fatty acids, tryptophan).

Relatives of someone screaming in their sleep should remember that it is impossible to wake them up abruptly during an attack. Due to a sudden awakening in the REM phase of sleep, a person ultimately does not get enough sleep. This may lead to worsening of the disorder in the future. It is better to speak soothing words, stroke the person’s hand, quietly call him by name until he gradually wakes up or falls asleep peacefully further.

Methods of counteraction

It is important to determine the true cause that influences the appearance of night screaming. If necessary, consult a doctor if you cannot solve this problem on your own.

If you understand that you need to take a sedative, then it is better to seek help from a specialist who can choose a safe remedy that does not have a negative effect on the body. Your doctor may prescribe tincture of valerian or motherwort as a sedative.
The doctor may also prescribe nootropics - drugs that improve the functioning of the brain and also have a positive effect on normalizing sleep.
Physiotherapy may be prescribed along with drug therapy. Among which are noted: mud treatment, electrophoresis, relaxation baths.
The doctor may prescribe a multivitamin complex if he deems it necessary. He will also advise enriching your diet with foods containing magnesium, B vitamins, and tryptophan.
When faced with screams at night, analyze whether you have a suitable pillow for sleeping. Perhaps it’s time to change it, buy a modern orthopedic option.
Before going to bed, you can perform a certain ritual, namely: take a relaxing bath with the addition of herbal decoctions that have a calming effect.
Before going to bed, do not watch scary films that excite your nervous system. Especially if you are overly impressionable and have repeatedly noticed the connection between these phenomena. Do not sit in front of a monitor screen for a long time.
If you are visited by disturbing thoughts, you cannot relax, you feel excessive tension, then it is recommended to turn to Eastern practices, do yoga or meditation. You can also visit a psychologist or psychotherapist, who in their sessions will help you cope with the problem that has arisen and teach you how to relax.

If there is a neurological problem, a neurologist will help. If there is prolonged stress or nightmares, a psychologist or psychotherapist will help. If the presence of mental disorders is detected - a psychiatrist.

What not to do

Parents whose children often wake up at night need to remember that the baby is already scared, most likely from a bad dream, so there is no need to frighten him even more. You cannot shout at the child, trying to wake him up completely, or harshly pour water on him or splash him in the face with water, especially cold water. You can’t slap on the cheeks, much less hit, no matter how tired the parent is.

Some mothers share their experience when a sharp blow in the face helps them with uncontrollable crying at night. But what works for some is not always effective for others. If such a practice has not been used, it is better not to use it. When they blow into the face of a crying child, this causes a temporary holding of breath (which is what the method is based on), but the child’s inability to breathe can frighten him even more, and then the hysteria will develop into panic. The consequences can be the most unexpected: from mild fright to serious neurological problems, such as stuttering.

Precautionary measures

Evening walks in the fresh air have a beneficial effect on normalizing sleep

Try to go to bed at the same time every day. It is advisable to do this no later than 23:00. It is recommended to sleep at least seven, and preferably eight hours.
Try not to watch movies, sit in front of the computer, or study new information before going to bed.
It is recommended to take walks in the fresh air in the evening.
Take care to give up bad habits. Remember that nicotine, alcohol and drugs have a negative effect on the body, including a person’s sleep.
It is worth taking care to create comfortable conditions for a night's rest. It is necessary that the room has an optimal temperature (from 18 to 22 degrees) and humidity (50 - 60%).
It is important not to overeat before going to bed. It is recommended that the last meal be at least three hours before the night's rest.

Now you know why a person can scream in his sleep. As you can see, there may be several reasons influencing the occurrence of such a phenomenon. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand what exactly in your case causes night screaming. Remember that you should not self-medicate, for example, start taking medications prescribed for a relative to normalize sleep. You may have a completely different case, and with such an attraction you will only harm yourself.

Which doctor should I contact?

Only a competent specialist can help you find out why a person groans in his sleep. The child should be shown to a pediatrician, who will prescribe a number of additional tests and consultation with specialized doctors. A somnologist deals with sleep problems. It will help establish the cause and connection of night moans with other disorders (if any).

You cannot do without consulting an otolaryngologist, who conducts a thorough examination of the ENT organs. If people do not suffer from an organic reason, then it would not be superfluous to consult a neurologist and psychotherapist.