Parasomnia’s

Last week I discussed the effects of physical activity on my sleep schedule and while I want to dive deeper into sleep disorders I feel as though I skipped over a small but essential part to understanding our sleep patterns more. Now we know there are various sleep disorders, but they are separated into two very special groups: Parasomnias and Dyssomnia’s. This week I decided to focus on Parasomnias’s, what they are, how they work and what sleep disorders they include.

Parasomnias’s

Includes the following sleep disorders: Sleepwalking, REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Teeth Grinding

Sleep disorders that fall into this category happen tend to be unwanted activities or experiences that occur while we are falling asleep, sleeping or waking up. Many people with Parasomnias find it hard staying asleep and often times have no recollection of memories from the night before. Non REM disorders include night terrors and Sleepwalking (somnambulism). Night terrors tend to be short but last no longer then 30-40 minutes. What normally happens during this time is the person is abruptly aroused and this is followed by screaming or crying. They are more common during the first half of the night and may last longer if the person is interrupted or agitated. Night terrors normally occur in children ages 4-12 and to about 3% of the adult population. Normal when occurring to adults it is induced by emotional distress or alcohol. Sleepwalking or also known as somnambulism occurs when a person appears to be awake and moving around with eyes wide open but is actually asleep. They also have no recollection of these events happening and may wake up in the middle of their sleep/episode confused. This also occurs within the early stages of sleep and typically within children aged 6-12 years old. There are also REM disorders. This includes nightmares, sleep paralysis and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Nightmares tend to happen towards later stages of sleep. These are vivid dreams that typically involved fear, terror or anxiety. Most people can recall the details of these dreams. Nightmares can happen to anyone but the chances are more when factors including illness, anxiety, any traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one, or negative reactions to a medication come into play. I went into detail about sleep paralysis in a recent post so I won’t talk too much on that one. The last disorder I will discuss is REM sleep behavior disorder. This is when individuals act out whatever they are dreaming about. Normally REM sleep is accompanied by a state of paralysis, but with this disorder people find themselves being able to move their limbs. This occurs typically in men over the age of 50 but it can also occur in women as well. Most times it can be caused by a reaction to medications especially antidepressants. Hope you guys join me next week to discuss Dysomnia’s and investigate what the real differences are!

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