Parasomnias

Parasomnias

Parasomnias are a group of abnormal behaviors, movements, emotions, perceptions, or dreams that occur during sleep or sleep – wake transitions. These are involuntary and unconscious actions, often disrupting sleep quality for the person and their bed partner.

Types of Parasomnias

  1. NREM – related Parasomnias (this occurs in deep sleep):
  • It involves sleepwalking in which there is walking or performing activities while asleep.
  • Sleep Terrors, in this there are sudden arousal with intense fear, screaming, and rapid heart rate.
  • Confusional Arousals, this includes waking up confused, disoriented, and without any awareness of surroundings.
  1. REM – related Parasomnias (occur during dreaming):
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, in this the person act the dreams out physically, often vivid or violent.
  • Nightmares – This contains of frightening dreams which causes awakenings, and they can be remembered clearly.
  • Sleep Paralysis – It is a temporarily inability to move or speak when falling asleep or while waking up, often with hallucinations.
  1. Other Parasomnias: This includes sleep talking, bedwetting, and exploding head syndrome.

Causes

It is caused by certain factors:

Symptoms

It’s most common symptoms are:

Physical injury from violent movements.

Diagnosis

Treatment

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Most of the Parasomnias are not dangerous, but some like RBD or sleepwalking can cause injuries. Safety measures and treatment can prevent harm.

Yes, while some Parasomnias like night terrors and sleepwalking are more common in children, REM Sleep Behavior disorder and nightmares are more typical in adults.

No, not necessarily. While stress and psychiatric conditions may trigger or worsen Parasomnia, they can also occur in otherwise healthy individuals.

Often, yes. Many childhood Parasomnias resolve on their own by adolescence and don’t require treatment unless frequent or dangerous.

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