A person who has a sleep terror episode will remain asleep, while someone who has a nightmare will wake up and may remember vivid details about the dream. Someone who is having a nightmare can be easily awoken and brought out of the nightmare, but this is not the case with a night terror. In the case of the latter, the person will be extremely difficult to wake up and may not actually emerge from their deep sleep. If the person who has experienced the episode appears confused and is unaware of the presence of others in the room, s/he has likely experienced a night terror and will often immediately return to sleep. On the other hand, if the person wakes up with feelings of fear or anxiety and seeks out the comfort or company of another person (especially in the case of children), s/he has had a nightmare. Remember that a person who has had a nightmare will often take longer to fall back to sleep. If the episode occurs during the first few hours of sleep (most commonly about 90 minutes after falling asleep), it most likely has occurred during the early short wave period of sleep. This indicates that the episode is probably a night terror. However, if the episode occurs later on in the sleep cycle, it most likely has occurred during REM sleep and is a nightmare.
تأكّد أن الشخص قد استيقظ. اعرف ما إذا كان من السهل إيقاظ الشخص. راقب حالة الشخص بعد النوبة. لاحظ موعد حدوث النوبة.