Interestingly enough, they can! Studies have shown that the absolute majority of people who experience night terrors have similar cases in their family history. Actually, the same goes with sleepwalking: while the numbers are lower, four out of every five sleepwalkers have one or more close relatives with the same condition. It has also been found that if one of the parents sleepwalk, children are twice as likely to experience night terrors (if both parents do, the risk almost triples). While sleeping on a proper mattress won't solve the issues, it might certainly alleviate it.