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Night Terrors: Troubled Sleep and the Stories We Tell About It
Alice Vernon often wakes up to find strangers in her bedroom.
Ever since she was a child, her nights have been haunted by nightmares of a figure from her adolescence, sinister hallucinations and episodes of sleepwalking. These are known as 'parasomnias' - and they're surprisingly common.
Now a lecturer in Creative Writing, Vernon set out to understand the history, science and culture of these strange and haunting experiences. Night Terrors, her startling and vivid debut, examines the history of our relationship with bad dreams: how we've tried to make sense of and treat them, from some decidedly odd 'cures' like magical 'mare-stones', to research on how video games might help people rewrite their dreams. Along the way she explores the Salem Witch Trials and sleep paralysis, Victorian ghost stories, and soldiers' experiences of PTSD. By directly confronting her own strange and frightening nights for the first time, Vernon encourages us to think about the way troubled sleep has impacted our imaginations.
Night Terrors aims to shine a light on the darkest parts of our sleeping lives, and to reassure sufferers from bad dreams that they are not alone.
Ever since she was a child, her nights have been haunted by nightmares of a figure from her adolescence, sinister hallucinations and episodes of sleepwalking. These are known as 'parasomnias' - and they're surprisingly common.
Now a lecturer in Creative Writing, Vernon set out to understand the history, science and culture of these strange and haunting experiences. Night Terrors, her startling and vivid debut, examines the history of our relationship with bad dreams: how we've tried to make sense of and treat them, from some decidedly odd 'cures' like magical 'mare-stones', to research on how video games might help people rewrite their dreams. Along the way she explores the Salem Witch Trials and sleep paralysis, Victorian ghost stories, and soldiers' experiences of PTSD. By directly confronting her own strange and frightening nights for the first time, Vernon encourages us to think about the way troubled sleep has impacted our imaginations.
Night Terrors aims to shine a light on the darkest parts of our sleeping lives, and to reassure sufferers from bad dreams that they are not alone.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2022
22 people are currently reading
869 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 30, 2023
I'm finding it difficult to find the words to review such a complex book; perhaps fascinating and disturbing at the same time. I think it shows how essential it is for us teachers to remember how we teach is just as important as what we teach and how huge is the impact we can make to a person's life. The book has left me feeling I need more answers about the workings of the human brain, which is a positive outcome.
February 7, 2024
A low 3 for me.
Whilst many parts of this book are incredibly interesting, such as the way ‘parasomnias’ have been analysed in history, and the way that the coronavirus pandemic impacted our dreams, ultimately it fell flat for me. Many ideas are started to be explored, but not quite deeply enough, and it feels like there is an uneven balance between the various parasomnias.
My main issue is how autobiographical it is. Of course, bringing in personal experience can enhance a book, I personally felt that there was far too much emphasis on Vernon’s own sleep problems. Long descriptions of multiple of the author’s own nightmares become a little tedious. Once or twice would be fine, but with multiple dreams being described, it feels more like Vernon uses the book as a vehicle to psychoanalyse herself. It reads like a therapy session, which could be an interest concept for a book, but is not what I signed up for for this one. Listening to long descriptions of other people’s dreams is notoriously boring (and I say that as someone who loves to share details of my own bizarre and vivid dreams), and it feels as though Night Terrors spends far too much time on this, as opposed to actually having something interesting to say about dreams themselves.
Whilst many parts of this book are incredibly interesting, such as the way ‘parasomnias’ have been analysed in history, and the way that the coronavirus pandemic impacted our dreams, ultimately it fell flat for me. Many ideas are started to be explored, but not quite deeply enough, and it feels like there is an uneven balance between the various parasomnias.
My main issue is how autobiographical it is. Of course, bringing in personal experience can enhance a book, I personally felt that there was far too much emphasis on Vernon’s own sleep problems. Long descriptions of multiple of the author’s own nightmares become a little tedious. Once or twice would be fine, but with multiple dreams being described, it feels more like Vernon uses the book as a vehicle to psychoanalyse herself. It reads like a therapy session, which could be an interest concept for a book, but is not what I signed up for for this one. Listening to long descriptions of other people’s dreams is notoriously boring (and I say that as someone who loves to share details of my own bizarre and vivid dreams), and it feels as though Night Terrors spends far too much time on this, as opposed to actually having something interesting to say about dreams themselves.
August 24, 2024
So interesting! Particularly liked the first few chapters which explored sleep walking, sleep hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Loved the mix of info and personal stories and the fact that she lives in my hometown.
October 22, 2023
Alice Vernon has been plagued by "parasomnias" ever since she was a child. These can vary from nightmares, sleepwalking, hallucinations, sleep paralysis and even lucid dreaming - just to name a few. They're more common than you think and will affect around 70% of us at some point during our lives.
Night Terrors is an in-depth examination of the complicated relationship that we have with our sleep, how we try to understand it, and even try to "cure" it of some of its unwanted traits.
Vernon expertly blends history with science, interweaving her own personal experiences with that of the terrible events of the Salem Witch Trials and the Victorian love affair with the macabre among others.
The author grips the reader with the first page with her beautifully descriptive writing that remains engrossing until the end, and yet manages to balance with perfection emotions of humour, sadness and fear.
Night Terrors is an impactful book, relatable, fascinating yet perhaps disturbing at times. The passion in which Vernon pursues discussion to be normalised surrounding our sleeping patterns is something that I think we can all take away from with a sense of positivity, as after all, we all have sleep.
I would like to send @iconbooks my sincerest gratitude for sending me this interesting book to review.
Night Terrors is an in-depth examination of the complicated relationship that we have with our sleep, how we try to understand it, and even try to "cure" it of some of its unwanted traits.
Vernon expertly blends history with science, interweaving her own personal experiences with that of the terrible events of the Salem Witch Trials and the Victorian love affair with the macabre among others.
The author grips the reader with the first page with her beautifully descriptive writing that remains engrossing until the end, and yet manages to balance with perfection emotions of humour, sadness and fear.
Night Terrors is an impactful book, relatable, fascinating yet perhaps disturbing at times. The passion in which Vernon pursues discussion to be normalised surrounding our sleeping patterns is something that I think we can all take away from with a sense of positivity, as after all, we all have sleep.
I would like to send @iconbooks my sincerest gratitude for sending me this interesting book to review.
January 27, 2024
A neat little summary of things happening between dusk and dawn.
The style is eclectic, ranging from science journalism, to literary analysis of victorian novels, back to autobiographical writing. This might also be a flaw, as the book is pretty short, and the author clearly has more interest or at least, more things to say, about some parasomnias compared to others.
Some film analysis is underdeveloped compared to the literary analysis : for instance, concluding that Kon's Paprika and Nolan's Inception is about "the dilemma of technology intruding in our dreams" and "the existential crisis we might face when technology helps us to control our dreams too well" is a little bit weak and doesn't offer anything interesting or new to say about the way those movies talk about dreams and the things dreams can be metaphors of. That's the occasional problem with this book. It maybe wants to deliver too much on too many topics, and their treatment is uneven in depth and analysis.
The autobiographical parts of the book left me with a curious feeling. On one hand, they bring a human touch into this largely academic work, and the mixing of the two is intriguing. On the other hand, it sometimes veers into unconfortably personal material that feels like a live therapy session happening in front of our eyes, with the author figuring things out as they come up. The author walks that fine line between sprinkling in subjective experience, and working on her trauma in public, and the whole thing doesn't quite gel together in my opinion.
Still, I learned a lot of interesting, amusing and frightening factoids, and mostly enjoyed having a glimpse into the author's psyche along the way.
The style is eclectic, ranging from science journalism, to literary analysis of victorian novels, back to autobiographical writing. This might also be a flaw, as the book is pretty short, and the author clearly has more interest or at least, more things to say, about some parasomnias compared to others.
Some film analysis is underdeveloped compared to the literary analysis : for instance, concluding that Kon's Paprika and Nolan's Inception is about "the dilemma of technology intruding in our dreams" and "the existential crisis we might face when technology helps us to control our dreams too well" is a little bit weak and doesn't offer anything interesting or new to say about the way those movies talk about dreams and the things dreams can be metaphors of. That's the occasional problem with this book. It maybe wants to deliver too much on too many topics, and their treatment is uneven in depth and analysis.
The autobiographical parts of the book left me with a curious feeling. On one hand, they bring a human touch into this largely academic work, and the mixing of the two is intriguing. On the other hand, it sometimes veers into unconfortably personal material that feels like a live therapy session happening in front of our eyes, with the author figuring things out as they come up. The author walks that fine line between sprinkling in subjective experience, and working on her trauma in public, and the whole thing doesn't quite gel together in my opinion.
Still, I learned a lot of interesting, amusing and frightening factoids, and mostly enjoyed having a glimpse into the author's psyche along the way.
November 7, 2022
I am not a big non-fiction reader but I have been incredibly excited for this book ever since Alice mentioned she was writing it while I was her student at Aber Uni. In fact, this was the first thing I've ever pre-ordered in my life because I just knew I was going to love it.
And I was right!
Apart from interesting discussions about various parasomnias, Alice has a variety of annecdotes that range from hilarious, creepy, and even some that actually made me cry.
She weaves her own accounts, historical accounts, and scientific research together beautifully into an incredibly descriptive and informative book that really drew me in and made me think about my own weird sleep.
Maybe next time I have one of those really stressful dreams about owning multiple hamsters that have escaped into the garden, I'll lucid dream and imagine I'm in a giant hamster cage or something. Anything to save those stupid wriggling hamsters from the outside world.
And I was right!
Apart from interesting discussions about various parasomnias, Alice has a variety of annecdotes that range from hilarious, creepy, and even some that actually made me cry.
She weaves her own accounts, historical accounts, and scientific research together beautifully into an incredibly descriptive and informative book that really drew me in and made me think about my own weird sleep.
Maybe next time I have one of those really stressful dreams about owning multiple hamsters that have escaped into the garden, I'll lucid dream and imagine I'm in a giant hamster cage or something. Anything to save those stupid wriggling hamsters from the outside world.
November 8, 2025
I’ll never forget the time I had sleep paralysis. I woke up and thought my housemate was sitting on the end of my bed. This didn’t strike me as weird at first because we were always all up in each other’s personal space in that house, often chilling in her bed to watch Doctor Who or youtube videos because she had the biggest bedroom/bed.
But then I wondered why she was just sitting there rather than waking me. And then I realized that I couldn’t move or speak, and that whatever was sitting on the end of my bed definitely wasn’t my housemate, or human. It probably only lasted for a minute, maybe even less, but it felt like an eternity, and I still think about it often.
All this to say I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book. But I wanted more, in particular regarding the subtitle promising “the stories we tell about [troubled sleep].” Based on this I was hoping for an exploration of dreams and nightmares in different cultures, their place in folklore, etc. and while there was a bit of that, the book mostly a more straightforward look at various "parasomnias" such as sleepwalking, lucid dreaming, etc.
Still definitely interesting — there were some really fascinating elements like the recounting of a study in which lucid dreamers were able to improve skills in the waking world by practicing them in their dreams — and I did really like the writing style, but all in all it didn’t quite gel for me in the way I was hoping.
But then I wondered why she was just sitting there rather than waking me. And then I realized that I couldn’t move or speak, and that whatever was sitting on the end of my bed definitely wasn’t my housemate, or human. It probably only lasted for a minute, maybe even less, but it felt like an eternity, and I still think about it often.
All this to say I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book. But I wanted more, in particular regarding the subtitle promising “the stories we tell about [troubled sleep].” Based on this I was hoping for an exploration of dreams and nightmares in different cultures, their place in folklore, etc. and while there was a bit of that, the book mostly a more straightforward look at various "parasomnias" such as sleepwalking, lucid dreaming, etc.
Still definitely interesting — there were some really fascinating elements like the recounting of a study in which lucid dreamers were able to improve skills in the waking world by practicing them in their dreams — and I did really like the writing style, but all in all it didn’t quite gel for me in the way I was hoping.
September 17, 2025
What a long winded way of saying everything is in your brain and the supernatural doesn't exist.
December 15, 2023
4.5 Amazingly easy to read. I couldn't put this down. A comprehensive examination of a range of different night terrors with Alice's own (terrifying) experiences described alongside those of others. I would definitely recommend this.
March 24, 2024
3.5 stars
A very interesting analysis on the author’s personal experience with troubled sleep but also a range of critical and fictional stories to reach to as aid for thoughts and reflections!
A very interesting analysis on the author’s personal experience with troubled sleep but also a range of critical and fictional stories to reach to as aid for thoughts and reflections!
March 18, 2023
Really interesting and the author's discussion of her own experiences really add a lot. A fascinating book.
January 9, 2023
A fascinating look at the different form s of parasomnia and the ways they have been recorded and interpreted in history. I particularly found the parts about dreams in remote tribes and the affect of the emergence of colour TV on dreams interesting.
As someone who lives with a family of parasomniacs it was very informative to understand what's going on.
As someone who lives with a family of parasomniacs it was very informative to understand what's going on.
February 19, 2023
A fascinating book
This book reveals masses of information about troubled sleep, going way beyond just nightmares. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in the strange phenomenon of sleeping.
This book reveals masses of information about troubled sleep, going way beyond just nightmares. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in the strange phenomenon of sleeping.
December 20, 2022
I was terrored
April 15, 2023
Beds are places of rest, safety, security, but only if your sleep is peaceful. For insomniacs, the bed is a cruel tormentor; for those of us with parasomnias, the bed is a haunted crypt.
When I saw this book at my local bookstore, I knew I had to get it. I was instantly drawn to the cover, and if you're not familiar with the image, it's the The Nightmare by Swedish painter Henry Fuseli.
This was exactly the type of book I wish I had access to when I first started getting sleep paralysis. Night Terrors is Alice Vernon's attempt in demystifying and normalising the terrors around sleep, analysing how they've been interpreted and misinterpreted throughout history, while encouraging us to tell our own stories. Vernon's own testimony and experience with parasomnias is sprinkled throughout the book, and I want to applaud her bravery for being so open about such a vulnerable topic.
I'm not much of a nonfiction reader, and if you are the same, don't be put off. This book reads like fiction, and doesn't have that dry, clinical feel that puts you to sleep. I found this book to be incredibly fascinating and yet, incredibly relatable.
All in all, I think this book did exactly what it sought out to do - offer the reassurance that we are not alone. If you're interested in the darkers parts of our sleep, I would highly recommend this book.
Rating: 4/5
November 9, 2025
Finished Night Terrors by Alice Vernon today and it was a very interesting book. It is non-fiction and all about dreams but more specifically parasomnia. This can be defined as different types of sleep disorders which include sleepwalking or somnambulism and night terrors. There is also a chapter on the portrayal of dreams through time and the direct influence of media and society on their meaning(s) to the particular dreamer.
I especially found the chapter on lucid dreaming intriguing as it is something I have tried to induce repeatedly in the past but failed! We spend roughly a third of our lives asleep but we often given so little thought about what actually happens during that time. The author argues that more discussions should be had about our nightly escapades as it may not only help us better understand ourselves but also encourage empathy towards others. There is mention of several fascinating sleep studies and their subsequent findings, which really made me think about the implications of being able to manipulate your dreams.
Maybe it WOULD be like a Black Mirror episode, as my sister pointed out. I would recommend checking this out as it’s an easy read and you’ll definitely learn something new or if you’re like me and just find it hard to sleep, this is for you too 👽
Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I especially found the chapter on lucid dreaming intriguing as it is something I have tried to induce repeatedly in the past but failed! We spend roughly a third of our lives asleep but we often given so little thought about what actually happens during that time. The author argues that more discussions should be had about our nightly escapades as it may not only help us better understand ourselves but also encourage empathy towards others. There is mention of several fascinating sleep studies and their subsequent findings, which really made me think about the implications of being able to manipulate your dreams.
Maybe it WOULD be like a Black Mirror episode, as my sister pointed out. I would recommend checking this out as it’s an easy read and you’ll definitely learn something new or if you’re like me and just find it hard to sleep, this is for you too 👽
Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
July 20, 2025
Felt truncated & like it was forcing a narrative by telling rather than showing. Could have done with like 50 more pages or so to really flesh out the arguments being presented.
If we are going to write non-fiction through personal experience then don’t just use it as a diary/therapy session. Use the inside to talk about the outside!! Why is contemporary non-fic for the most part so lacking in impactful analyses?????? 💔💔💔💔 WRITING AND EDITING SHOULD NOT BE RUSHED TO APPEASE CAPITALISM 💔💔💔💔💔💔
Was an interesting topic & not one I’ve ever approached before critically, and this book has made me want to read more on parasomnias/sleep/how we explain and understand it etc. so credit for that. There were a wide range of sources which kept it interesting, but again, hardly much said about any of them, so fell flat for me.
I also hope Meredith has had some very intensive therapy.
If we are going to write non-fiction through personal experience then don’t just use it as a diary/therapy session. Use the inside to talk about the outside!! Why is contemporary non-fic for the most part so lacking in impactful analyses?????? 💔💔💔💔 WRITING AND EDITING SHOULD NOT BE RUSHED TO APPEASE CAPITALISM 💔💔💔💔💔💔
Was an interesting topic & not one I’ve ever approached before critically, and this book has made me want to read more on parasomnias/sleep/how we explain and understand it etc. so credit for that. There were a wide range of sources which kept it interesting, but again, hardly much said about any of them, so fell flat for me.
I also hope Meredith has had some very intensive therapy.
August 9, 2025
This was a real tour de force, making it an unusual non-fiction read.
It is written by someone interested in comparative literature and creative writing and does look into examples from the arts. By doing that it also engages with manifold historical documents and their context. And it is quite up to date on scientific research. And THEN it has frequent, bone-chilling elements of a memoir, because the author herself is very experienced with parasomnia and allows insights and context for this too (I might now be terrified of “Meredith” myself). A truly fascinating, maybe a bit morbid read, highly recommend!
CNs for descriptions of child abuse (through manipulation and overstepped boundaries), mentions of murder, psychological diagnoses, and well, in-depth descriptions of nightmares, night terrors, sleep paralysis, sleep walking as a feeling and on a content basis.
It is written by someone interested in comparative literature and creative writing and does look into examples from the arts. By doing that it also engages with manifold historical documents and their context. And it is quite up to date on scientific research. And THEN it has frequent, bone-chilling elements of a memoir, because the author herself is very experienced with parasomnia and allows insights and context for this too (I might now be terrified of “Meredith” myself). A truly fascinating, maybe a bit morbid read, highly recommend!
CNs for descriptions of child abuse (through manipulation and overstepped boundaries), mentions of murder, psychological diagnoses, and well, in-depth descriptions of nightmares, night terrors, sleep paralysis, sleep walking as a feeling and on a content basis.
June 15, 2024
This was a DNF for me which was a shame because the concept was so intriguing however there was an over-reliance on personal stories from the author that the historical context and “stories we tell” about night terrors and parasomnias felt like an afterthought and coming from a PhD, the text came across more of a contextualised memoir rather than anything remotely academic. Gave it two stars because some bits like the analysis of Dracula and early records of sleepwalking were really interesting. Sadly there wasn’t enough of them
October 5, 2025
I found this to be very interesting, well-researched, and I liked the writing style. Although it is a nonfiction book with an academic subject, it is neither boring nor difficult to read. This is mostly because of the many stories the author relates- personal or by other people who have had troubled sleep. It makes the book more approachable and even entertaining to readers. I would say that, as I got closer to the end, I felt a bit tired, but this could be because of my hurry to read another book.
August 31, 2024
I wasn't thoroughly engaged with the creative writing aspects of the book and found them quite disorientating throughout the first half of the book. However, there seemed to be bit more of a balance between scientific and historic data and autobiographical storytelling.
I felt most compelled by the chapter on lucid dreaming, not out of interest of the topic but moreso the tactful way it was written.
I felt most compelled by the chapter on lucid dreaming, not out of interest of the topic but moreso the tactful way it was written.
February 28, 2025
Get past the somewhat misleading subtitle, the sometimes clunky prose style and the author’s tendency to use a few pages here and there as personal therapy sessions, and this is an interesting treatise on parasomnias that could have been a lot more compelling had Vernon drilled down further into her material. I often complain that books are overlong; this one felt like a series of sketches to a much broader and substantial work.
March 15, 2025
As told by its full title, “Night Terrors” is a non-fiction book about Troubled Sleep and the Stories We Tell About It. Alice Vernon, the author, recounts some of her own traumatic experiences with sleepwalking. However, she mainly surveys ‘parasomnias‘ (undesirable sleep behaviors) both through time and imagination.
You can read the full review on my blog here.
You can read the full review on my blog here.
July 5, 2023
Highly recommend to anyone who has ever suffered from bad dreams or nightmares! I came away from reading this book feeling like I had learned so much. Fascinating and entertaining, I feel like this book nails unpicking the complexity of humans' relationship with sleep in a way that feels relevant and easy to read.
February 6, 2024
Disturbing and thought provoking. Vernon succinctly deconstructs the origins, histories and sensitively analyzes parasomniac case studies with precision and compassion. I enjoyed how she drew references from a range of mediums (movies, shows, and classic/gothic literature, non fiction etc.) This book will leave your mind lingering after “the lights are out.”
November 19, 2024
I'm very interested in this topic, and I'm not necessarily opposed to reading a study of it by someone who's interested because they suffer it themselves, and are not in themselves an expert, but...
This book seems to be mostly the author working out their issues with a teacher they had years and years ago. Everything else is an overview of the subject that could be found elsewhere.
This book seems to be mostly the author working out their issues with a teacher they had years and years ago. Everything else is an overview of the subject that could be found elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2023
Night Terrors does a fantastic deep dive into the world of ‘weird’ sleep. The narrative engagingly links sleep disorders to the author’s personal experience, history and literature, making for a creepy, informative and at times, humorous, exploration of how weird sleep can be. Highly recommend.
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September 4, 2024While there are a lot of interesting topics & sections to this book overall it wasn't very compelling. Meandering at times & there is a lot of author self-insert moments which I honestly don't think added much to the book.
November 22, 2023
A very interesting and spooky read. Never had issues with nightmares however it was fascinating to read about the different research on sleep/dreams and Alice`s experience.
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April 1, 2024triggered my ocd so i will not be finishing it 🙏
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews