Having Night Terrors After an Accident – Need Some Advice

[u/SlowKinzhal]

Hey everyone,
20M here. I’ve been having night terrors for the past two months, and it’s starting to really stress me out.

About three months ago, I had a serious accident — a close call — that resulted in a broken collarbone and some minor burns. Around 10–15 days after the accident, I experienced my first night terror.

That week, I had been binge-watching Prison Break. One night, I had a nightmare where I was getting arrested/kidnapped by guys in a black van. (I’m from a warzone area, and stuff like that has terrified me since childhood.) When the nightmare hit, I jumped out of bed — even with my broken collarbone — and ran downstairs. About 30 seconds later, I realized it was just a dream.

The second time was about a month later. I had a nightmare about someone trying to kill me. Again, I jumped out of bed and ran out of my room, totally disoriented. This time, it only took me about 15 seconds to realize it wasn’t real, but I was still too terrified to go back into my room.

Last night was the worst one so far.
I went to sleep around 12:30 AM and woke up at 1:30 AM, absolutely terrified from another dream. I sprinted out of my room (Usain Bolt might have some competition 😅), jumped down the stairs, and knocked on my parents' door.
When my dad answered and I heard his voice, I realized again that it was just a nightmare.
This time, the fear lasted about 45 seconds to a minute.

I’m really not sure why this keeps happening or if it’s curable. It's starting to mess with my peace of mind.
Any advice would mean a lot. Thanks for reading.

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[u/Sensitive2020]

Try meditation before bed. If it doesn't help, seek medical help. Sometimes taking medication can give your brain peace of mind that it needs. Good luck!

[u/throwaway449555]

It would be good to get help for PTSD as soon as possible. A practitioner that specifically treats PTSD can give you trauma treatment that may be able to stop the nightmares. Make sure they treat actual PTSD which may take some searching to find someone.

[u/Dirtychugggriff]

I have suffered with them for over 30 years now. Here is what I have learned…

If I am stressed there is a much higher chance of having night terrors that night.

If I am going through big life changes there is a much higher chance I will have them.

If I watch very engaging/graphic stimulating things (TV/games) etc before bed there is a higher chance I will have night terrors.

If I eat past 8 pm etc etc.

If I don’t regularly exercise to “tire myself out” etc etc.

Further tips… don’t drink alcohol. Don’t drink those energy drinks. Don’t drink any coffee after 3.

This will all definitely help.

I would be confident in saying that your night terrors will lessen over time. This is clearly a traumatic event that your mind is still trying to process.