What is the Difference Between Night Terrors and Nightmares?

Night terrors and nightmares are both distressing sleep events, but they are different and occur at different stages of sleep. Here are the key differences between night terrors and nightmares:

Wakefulness: During night terrors, a person may talk and move about but remains asleep, while nightmares are bad dreams that a person wakes up from and can remember.
Timing: Nightmares typically occur during the last third of the night, in the REM phase of sleep, while night terrors happen in the early part of the night, sometimes more than once, lasting up to 15 minutes.
Causes: Common causes of night terrors and nightmares include being very tired, unwell, or experiencing stress, anxiety, or worry. Night terrors can also be caused by certain medicines, conditions that affect sleep, or mental health conditions.
Age: Night terrors are most common in children between the ages of 3 and 8, while nightmares can affect both children and adults.
Recall: It is rare to remember having a night terror, while nightmares are more easily remembered upon waking.

Night terrors are more common in children and usually occur during the early part of the night, sometimes more than once, lasting up to 15 minutes. In contrast, nightmares can affect both children and adults and typically occur during the last third of the night, in the REM phase of sleep. Nightmares are intense dreams that may provoke terror, anger, or disgust and are more easily remembered than night terrors.