How to Write Sleepwalking and Night Terrors That Feel Real

Your character sleepwalks. You write "he walked in his sleep, did some things, then went back to bed." Vague. Or you have character hold full conversation while sleepwalking, which isn't how sleepwalking actually works.

Or your character has night terrors. You write it like a nightmare - they wake up scared, remember the dream, someone comforts them. Except night terrors aren't nightmares. They're completely different phenomenon with different symptoms, timing, and aftermath.

Parasomnias - sleep disorders like sleepwalking, night terrors, and sleep talking - are common enough that many readers have experienced them or witnessed them. Get the details wrong and you break immersion. Get them right and you create unsettling, realistic scenes that tap into something many people recognize. This guide covers realistic symptoms, triggers and causes, writing techniques for different POVs, and adapting parasomnia scenes for various fiction genres.

Sleepwalking: What Actually Happens

Sleepwalking (somnambulism) is complex behavior during deep non-REM sleep. Person appears awake but isn't conscious.

What It Looks Like

**Eyes open but blank**: Staring straight ahead with glassy, unfocused eyes. Not making eye contact even if looking at someone. Expression is vacant, emotionless.

**Walking with purpose**: Not stumbling around blindly. Moving toward goals (door, stairs, window) as if awake, but clumsily. Bumping into furniture, misjudging distances.

**Performing routine activities**: Might get dressed, eat, open doors, even leave house. Activities are usually simple, repetitive versions of daytime routines.

**Minimal or no speech**: Some sleepwalkers are silent. Others mumble or speak in fragments. Rarely hold coherent conversations. Responses to questions are minimal, nonsensical, or absent.

**Difficult to wake**: Can take significant effort. When woken, extreme confusion. "Where am I? What happened?" Disoriented, sometimes frightened.

What Sleepwalkers Don't Do

**Hold conversations**: Can't answer complex questions or discuss things logically. Brain is asleep. Simple responses maybe, but not back-and-forth dialogue.

**Remember it**: After returning to sleep or waking, usually zero memory of episode. Might remember fragments or nothing at all.

**Recognize people**: May look at someone without recognizing them. No emotional connection or response to familiar faces.

Safety Issues

**Injury risk**: Walking into walls, falling down stairs, trying to exit through windows, using kitchen equipment. Sleepwalkers can hurt themselves because they're not processing danger.

**Leaving house**: May walk outside in pajamas, barefoot, in cold weather. Can wander into dangerous situations.

**Protecting sleepwalkers**: Lock windows, gates on stairs, remove tripping hazards, alarm on bedroom door to alert others.

Writing Sleepwalking Scene

From witness POV:

"I found him in the kitchen at 2 AM, standing in front of the open fridge. His eyes were open but wrong - glassy, unseeing. 'Hey, you okay?' He didn't respond, just stared at the milk. I touched his shoulder and he moved toward the counter, bumping into a chair like he didn't see it. 'You're sleepwalking,' I realized. His face was completely blank."

From character POV (waking):

"I woke up in the living room, standing by the front door. My hand was on the doorknob. I had no idea how I got there. Last thing I remembered was going to bed. My roommate explained I'd been wandering around for twenty minutes. I didn't remember any of it."

Night Terrors: Not Nightmares

Night terrors (sleep terrors) are dramatic parasomnia events completely different from bad dreams.

Key Differences from Nightmares

**Nightmares**: During REM sleep, remembered after waking, person fully wakes and is consolable, recognizes reality quickly.

**Night terrors**: During deep non-REM sleep, not remembered, person appears awake but isn't, inconsolable, doesn't recognize surroundings or people.

What Night Terrors Look Like

**Sudden screaming**: Loud, terrified screaming that wakes everyone else. Person sits up or jumps out of bed, eyes wide open.

**Eyes open but unseeing**: Looking around with terror but not seeing actual room. Seeing whatever they're experiencing internally.

**Thrashing and fighting**: Flailing arms, kicking, trying to escape invisible threat. Can accidentally hit people trying to help.

**Rapid heartbeat and breathing**: Sweating profusely, hyperventilating, showing physical signs of extreme fear.

**Inconsolable**: Can't be comforted because they don't recognize comforter. Not processing external reality. Appears awake but brain is still asleep.

**Duration**: Typically 1-10 minutes (feels longer). Then person calms down, lies back down, continues sleeping normally.

**No memory**: In morning, remembers nothing. Might remember fragments of feeling scared but not the terror episode itself.

Common in Children

Night terrors are much more common in children (peak age 3-7) than adults. Most kids outgrow them. Adult night terrors are less common and sometimes linked to stress, trauma, or sleep disorders.

Children having night terror: parents are terrified watching their child scream in fear while being unable to comfort them. Child is fine in morning and doesn't remember.

Writing Night Terror Scene

From witness POV:

"The screaming woke me instantly - raw terror. I ran to her room. She was sitting up in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the wall and screaming. 'It's okay, you're safe,' I said, reaching for her. She scrambled backward, hitting the headboard, still screaming. She was looking through me, not at me. Her eyes were open but she wasn't awake. I'd never seen anything more terrifying - watching someone in such obvious distress who couldn't be reached."

From character POV (next morning):

"My throat was raw. My roommate said I'd been screaming last night, thrashing around like something was attacking me. She'd tried to wake me but I didn't respond. I had zero memory of it. She looked exhausted and shaken. I felt fine - just confused why she was so upset."

Sleep Talking (Somniloquy)

Speaking during sleep. Very common, mostly harmless, often amusing.

What It Sounds Like

**Ranges from mumbles to clear speech**: Some people mumble incoherently. Others speak clearly in full sentences.

**Nonsense to coherent**: Might be gibberish. Might be actual conversation about real topics (work, relationships, random memories). Content usually makes no sense or is random fragments.

**Emotional tone varies**: Calm narration, angry arguing, laughing, fearful whispering. Emotional content can be intense even if words are nonsense.

**One-sided**: Person isn't actually conversing even if it sounds like dialogue. They're not hearing or responding to external stimuli (usually).

Can You Talk Back?

Sometimes sleep talker responds to questions or prompts, but responses are typically nonsensical or random. Not actual conversation. They're answering from dream logic, not reality.

"Where did you put the keys?" you ask.

"The elephants have them," they respond seriously, still asleep.

No Memory

Sleep talkers rarely remember what they said. Learning about it later can be embarrassing (if they revealed something) or funny (if it was nonsense).

Writing Sleep Talking

"He was talking in his sleep again. I couldn't make out most of it, but I caught 'no, that's not right' and something about blue containers. Then he laughed - just laughed for no reason - and rolled over. In the morning he had no idea."

Sleep Paralysis: Different Category

Not quite same as sleepwalking/terrors but often confused with them.

**What it is**: Temporary inability to move or speak when falling asleep or waking up. Lasts seconds to minutes. Often accompanied by hallucinations and sense of presence/pressure.

**Conscious awareness**: Unlike sleepwalking and night terrors, person is conscious during sleep paralysis. They know what's happening, can't move or call for help, often experience extreme fear.

**Hallucinations common**: Visual (seeing figures), auditory (hearing footsteps, voices), tactile (feeling pressure on chest, someone touching them). Feels completely real.

**Full memory**: Person remembers entire experience. Often terrifying.

**Cultural interpretations**: Many cultures have folklore about sleep paralysis (demons, old hag syndrome, alien abduction). Physiologically it's REM sleep intrusion into wakefulness.

Writing Sleep Paralysis

"I woke up but couldn't move. Couldn't even open my eyes fully or turn my head. There was weight on my chest, pressure like someone sitting on me. I tried to scream - nothing came out. My mind was fully awake and screaming, but my body wouldn't respond. I heard footsteps in the room. Getting closer. I knew no one else was home. I couldn't move, couldn't call out. The terror was absolute."

Why Parasomnias Happen

**Genetic component**: Often runs in families. If parent sleepwalked, child might too.

**More common in children**: Especially sleepwalking and night terrors. Most outgrow it.

**Triggered by stress**: Sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety can increase frequency.

**Not always psychological**: Often just neurological quirk. Not necessarily sign of trauma or mental illness (though stress can worsen).

**Deep sleep phenomenon**: Sleepwalking and night terrors happen during deep non-REM sleep. Part of brain wakes while other parts stay asleep.

Triggers and Causes in Detail

Understanding what triggers parasomnias helps create realistic patterns for characters.

Sleep Deprivation

Most common trigger: Not getting enough sleep increases deep sleep intensity when finally sleeping. Parasomnias happen during deep sleep, so sleep debt makes them more likely.

In fiction: Character pulling all-nighters for exam, working double shifts, new parent with disrupted sleep. Then sleepwalking episode when they finally crash.

Example: "She'd been running on four hours a night for a week. When she finally got to bed at normal time, her exhausted brain dove into deep sleep so intense that she sleepwalked for first time in years."

Stress and Anxiety

Emotional stress increases parasomnia frequency: Major life changes, relationship problems, work pressure, trauma processing.

Stress doesn't cause parasomnias in people who've never had them (usually), but makes existing tendency worse.

In fiction: Character going through divorce, dealing with death of loved one, facing major decision. Night terrors return or sleepwalking increases.

Example: "His daughter's night terrors had stopped at age six. But after the move to new city, new school, leaving all her friends—they came back. She'd scream three times a week now."

Alcohol and Medication

Substances affecting sleep architecture: Alcohol disrupts normal sleep cycles. Some medications (sleeping pills paradoxically, certain antidepressants, beta blockers) can trigger parasomnias.

In fiction: Character having sleep paralysis after taking new medication, sleepwalking after drinking.

Example: "The sleeping pill was supposed to help. Instead, he woke up in kitchen with no memory of getting there. The bottle warned about sleepwalking side effects."

Sleep Schedule Disruption

Irregular sleep patterns: Jet lag, shift work, changing time zones. Body's circadian rhythm gets confused, deep sleep becomes irregular.

In fiction: Character traveling internationally, working night shifts, experiencing time zone changes.

Example: "Three days into London trip, still jet-lagged, she had night terror so severe her husband couldn't calm her down. She'd thrashed and screamed at the hotel ceiling for five minutes."

Genetic Predisposition

Runs in families: If parent had parasomnias, children are much more likely to have them.

In fiction: Character discovers parent also sleepwalked, realizes it's genetic trait not psychological problem.

Example: "'Did I ever sleepwalk?' he asked his mother. 'All the time,' she said. 'I had to put bells on your door. Runs in the family—your grandfather did too.'"

Fever and Illness

Physical illness can trigger episodes: High fever, particularly in children, often causes night terrors or sleepwalking.

In fiction: Sick child has night terrors while feverish, adult with flu experiences sleep disturbances.

Example: "The fever spiked to 103. That night, their son had worst night terror yet—took twenty minutes to calm him while he screamed about something in his closet."

Writing Techniques for Different POVs

How you write parasomnia scene depends on whose perspective you're using.

From Sleepwalker's POV

Discontinuity and confusion: Character goes to bed, then suddenly they're somewhere else with no transition. Gap in time and space.

Example:
"I went to bed exhausted. Closed my eyes.

I opened them standing in the garage, bare feet on cold concrete, car keys in my hand. What? How? The clock on the wall said 3:47 AM. I had no memory of getting up, walking down stairs, entering garage. Nothing. Just bed, then here."

Fragments on waking: Sometimes faint dream-like impressions, but mostly blank confusion.

Example: "I had vague sense I'd been walking somewhere, looking for something. But the memory dissolved like dream as I woke fully. Had I been dreaming? Then why was I in the kitchen?"

From Witness POV

Unsettling wrongness: They look awake but something is off. Uncanny valley effect.

Example:
"She was standing in hallway, perfectly still, staring at the wall. Eyes open. Not blinking. 'Hey,' I said softly. She didn't react. I waved my hand in front of her face—nothing. Her eyes were tracking something I couldn't see. My skin crawled. She looked like her, sounded like her when she mumbled something, but she wasn't there."

Trying to help: Witness attempts communication, touching, guiding. Shows disconnect between effort and response.

Example:
"'Come on, let's get you back to bed,' I said, touching her elbow. She pulled away, walking toward stairs. Not fast, but purposeful. 'No, wait—' She was already halfway down, clumsy in the dark. I hurried after her, heart pounding. She was asleep. She was walking down stairs asleep."

Fear and helplessness: Especially with night terrors. Watching someone in distress you can't help.

Example:
"He was screaming. Not dream-screaming—raw, primal terror screaming. His eyes were wide open, staring at ceiling, and he was screaming like something was killing him. 'Hey, hey, wake up!' I shook him. Nothing. He didn't see me. I'd never felt so helpless—watching the person I loved trapped in terror I couldn't reach."

From Third Person Omniscient

Show both internal and external: What character's unconscious mind is doing vs. what witnesses see.

Example:
"Marcus was walking through his apartment, eyes open but unseeing. In his sleeping mind, he was back in his childhood home, looking for his mother. He moved down the hall with strange purpose, bumping into furniture without noticing.

His roommate watched from the doorway, afraid to startle him but worried he'd hurt himself. Marcus opened the front door. 'Marcus, stop,' his roommate said urgently. Marcus didn't respond. The night air hit his face. He stood in doorway, confused in some deep part of his mind about why his childhood home had wrong door. Then he turned around and shuffled back to bedroom."

Parasomnias in Different Fiction Genres

How you use parasomnia scenes depends on your genre.

Psychological Thriller

Use for unreliable narrator or mystery: Did character do something while sleepwalking? Waking up with no memory creates uncertainty.

Example: Character suspects they hurt someone while sleepwalking. Evidence suggests they left house. They have no memory. Did they do it?

Paranoia and self-doubt: Character can't trust own memory or actions during sleep.

Horror

Parasomnia as genuinely frightening: Sleep paralysis hallucinations, night terrors, sleepwalking into dangerous situations.

Can use realistic parasomnia (horror of being unable to move during sleep paralysis) or blend with supernatural (are the hallucinations real?).

Example: Character experiences sleep paralysis with hallucinations of figure in room. Each night, figure gets closer. Is it parasomnia or something real?

Literary Fiction

Metaphor for control, vulnerability, unconscious mind: Parasomnias as expression of character's internal state.

Character sleepwalking during crisis represents loss of control in waking life. Night terrors externalize internal turmoil.

Intimate character study: How character handles vulnerability, how others respond.

Romance

Vulnerability and trust: Partner witnessing and caring for character during parasomnia episode. Intimacy of seeing someone completely vulnerable.

Example: New relationship. She sleepwalks into his room. He gently guides her back to bed without waking her. Next morning, he explains what happened. She's embarrassed but touched by his care.

Comic relief: Sleep talking revealing feelings, amusing sleepwalking incidents (appropriate tone only).

Mystery/Crime

Alibi complications: Character was sleepwalking during crime—no alibi. Or sleepwalker witnessed something but doesn't remember.

Evidence collection: Investigating whether crime occurred during parasomnia episode. Medical testimony about sleepwalking behaviors.

Using Parasomnias in Fiction

Character Trait

Character who sleepwalks has to take precautions: door alarms, sleeping on ground floor, warning roommates. Creates practical challenges and vulnerability.

Revealing Information

Sleep talking reveals secrets character wouldn't share awake. But remember: they won't remember saying it, and what they say might be nonsensical.

Creating Danger

Sleepwalking into dangerous situations, night terrors causing injury, sleep paralysis making character vulnerable. Use for horror or tension.

Relationship Dynamics

Partner/roommate dealing with someone's parasomnia. Concern, lost sleep, learning to handle episodes, intimacy of witnessing vulnerable moments.

Mystery Element

Did character do something while sleepwalking? Waking up in strange place with no memory. Objects moved. Door left open.

What Not to Do

**Making it supernatural without explanation**: Real parasomnias are unsettling enough. Don't need demons unless that's your genre.

**Full conversations with sleepwalkers**: They can't hold meaningful dialogue. Minimal responses only.

**Character remembers night terror**: They don't. That's nightmare, not night terror.

**Waking sleepwalker is dangerous**: Myth. It's confusing for them but not dangerous. Better to gently guide them back to bed.

**Every episode is dramatic**: Most sleepwalking is mundane (sitting up, walking to door, going back to bed). Not always elaborate activities.

Making It Real

Research accounts from people who experience parasomnias and those who witness them. Watch videos of documented sleepwalking/night terrors (medical/educational contexts). Understand the blank, absent quality that makes it so unsettling.

Show the confusion and lack of memory afterward. Include witness perspective of trying to help someone who can't be reached. Balance the unsettling nature with medical reality - it's concerning but usually not dangerous with proper precautions.

Parasomnias tap into universal vulnerability: being unconscious and out of control. Written accurately, they're inherently compelling and don't need exaggeration to be effective.

Show realistic triggers and causes. Sleep deprivation is most common trigger—insufficient sleep increases deep sleep intensity where parasomnias occur. Stress and anxiety worsen existing tendencies. Alcohol and medications affect sleep architecture. Irregular sleep schedules from jet lag or shift work confuse circadian rhythm. Genetic predisposition means it runs in families. Fever and illness, especially in children, trigger episodes. Use these triggers logically in your story—don't have parasomnia appear randomly without context.

Adapt POV technique to your narrator. From sleepwalker's POV, show discontinuity and confusion—sudden transition from bed to different location with no memory. Include fragments on waking if appropriate. From witness POV, emphasize unsettling wrongness, the uncanny valley of someone who looks awake but isn't there. Show attempts to help and the disconnect. Convey fear and helplessness especially with night terrors. From third person omniscient, show both internal unconscious process and external appearance simultaneously.

Use parasomnias appropriately for your genre. Psychological thrillers exploit unreliable narrator possibilities and self-doubt. Horror emphasizes genuine fear of paralysis, hallucinations, vulnerability. Literary fiction uses parasomnias as metaphor for control and unconscious mind. Romance shows vulnerability and trust through caring for partner. Mystery and crime plots involve alibi complications and witness reliability issues.

Most importantly, respect the medical reality while understanding the storytelling potential. Parasomnias are unsettling enough without exaggeration. The blank stare of sleepwalker, the inconsolable terror of night terror sufferer, the complete helplessness of sleep paralysis—these are inherently dramatic. Write them accurately and you'll create scenes that resonate with readers who recognize the truth of it, while introducing others to genuinely fascinating and unsettling aspects of human sleep.