TODAY spoke with experts about what happens during night terrors and how to help a loved one who might experience them.

“Night terrors are these episodes of screaming, almost feeling like you’re awake — your eyes can be awake, your body could be tense, you can have actual heart rate changes, all while you’re sleeping,” according to clinical psychologist Courtney Bancroft, who specializes in sleep. “But the person who’s experiencing this doesn’t remember it the next day.”