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Glite Dictionary
sleep terror disorder

sleep terror disorder

9.2
A sleep problem where someone wakes from deep sleep with intense fear and often screams, usually without memory
  • noun
  • /sliːp ˈtɛrər dɪsˈɔrdər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : trastorno del terror nocturno
  • Children with sleep terror disorder may wake up screaming and be inconsolable for several minutes.

Examples

  • Unlike nightmares, sleep terror disorder episodes happen during non-REM sleep and are rarely remembered.

  • Doctors may recommend counseling or medication to help manage sleep terror disorder in severe cases.

  • My brother suffers from sleep terror disorder.

  • Many children experience sleep terror disorders during their development.

  • Children with sleep terror disorder can suddenly awaken in a state of panic, often screaming and unable to recognize their surroundings.

  • Parents often seek help for their child's sleep terror disorder when episodes become frequent and disrupt the whole family.

  • During a typical night, someone with sleep terror disorder may experience frightening episodes that leave them feeling terrified upon waking.

Synonyms

night terror
vssleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
22 7.8

A sleep event, often in children, when a child wakes screaming in great fear and does not remember it

is broader in age and stresses non-REM occurrence and greater severity
sleep disorder
vssleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A health problem that stops a person sleeping normally

is a specific severe type focusing on panic episodes during non-REM sleep
pavor nocturnus
vssleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
9.9

A sleep problem with sudden intense fear, screaming, and panic during deep sleep

is identical in meaning but uses the more common modern term

Antonyms

restful
17 1.8

Causes you to feel calm and ready to rest

to slumber
15 3.8

To sleep lightly or peacefully

How Disturbing

sleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
9.2
nightmare
404 1.5
sleepwalking
11 3.9

Surface Forms

sleep terror disorder singular
sleep terror disorders plural

Morphology

sleep + terror + disorder

The meaning is directly compositional: combining 'sleep' (during sleep) + 'terror' (intense fear) + 'disorder' (a medical/psychological condition) yields 'a disorder involving episodes of intense fear during sleep', which a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer. This follows common compounding patterns in English and parallels cross-linguistic medical terms (e.g., 'night terrors'), so the sense is immediately understandable from the constituents.

Etymology

Sleep terror disorder comes from its parts: sleep (when you are sleeping), terror ('intense fear'), and disorder ('a health condition'), and it paints the picture of someone suddenly terrified while asleep. So it names the condition where a person may wake up screaming, panicked, and hard to calm during deep sleep.