6 year old recurring nightmare

[bonbonours]

DS aged 6 and a half has been having the same nightmare quite frequently (at least once a week) for the past few months. He sits up coughing and crying, and is not actually awake. He keeps mumbling stuff which doesn't make sense, and stuff like, "I don't know" and it is really hard to wake him up out of it. Sometimes he hides his face or suddenly cries out like something has hurt him or something awful has happened, even when we are cuddling him trying to reassure him. We have to wake him or he just keeps on crying and talking in his sleep. Sometimes we wake him and he goes back into it again a short while after. The thing is he can't remember what he was dreaming about, either straight away when he wakes, or the next day.
When I google it, lots of things say recurring dreams can be a sign of something they are worrying about and can't put into words, but given that he can't remember what he's dreaming about I don't know how to help.

Any thoughts? Would it be ridiculous to go to the GP?

Is he a worrier in general?
Happy in general?
Must be awful for you to see him like that
Is it usually round about the same time every night?
I wouldn't rule out a gp. But I understand why you would be appriencive

Sounds like a night terror, especially if it happens in the early part of the night (an hour or two after he goes to sleep?). There is info about them on the NHS website.
Some kids get them, especially when overtired. Tbh they are more distressing for us to witness than for the child- my DD2 has them and is a generally happy and confident kid in the daytime. Like your DS she can't remember a thing in the morning. I expect she will grow out of them and haven't thought to trouble the GP.

She's having classic night terrors and her age is a prime age to have them. There is nothing wrong, she is not being traumatized, she won't ever remember the dreams, and you have no reason to worry. This should pass fairly quickly.

Sounds like night terrors to me too. Google them. It's really a kind of sleep walking. More likely when over tired or ill. Usually around 90 minutes after falling asleep. My oldest is 7 and has had them from time to time for several years. They're scary and odd and you cannot wake him up out of them. But they pass in 10-20 mi utes and he has no memory of them and goes back to sleep in a few minutes.

Thanks, I had heard of night terrors but thought they were a thing that happened to babies/toddlers. Definitely sounds like it as he doesn't remember anything.