Parasomnias
Parasomnias are sleep disorders involving skeletal and muscular activity as well as autonomic nervous system changes. Ranging in severity, there are a variety of parasomnias that interrupt the sleep cycle, cause sleep-related injuries, as well as psychological distress from repeated loss of self-control during sleep. Some forms of parasomnias include sleep walking, sleep eating, sleep talking, nightmares and sleep terrors, and most can be treated with specific types of therapy.
Sleepwalking is mostly common in young children and usually disappears during puberty. This parasomnia emerges 15 minutes to 2 hours after the onset of sleep and is characterized by aimless wandering, accompanied by the carriage of objects from place to place, the rearrangment of furniture, urination in closets or other random rooms, and traveling outside for no apparent reason. Oftentimes, the sleepwalker’s eyes are open, but with a glossy stare. They may mumble, but communication is close to impossible, as the person is in such a deep state of sleep, they won’t even recognize or remember their sleepwalking activities.
Sleep eating, commonly found to affect women in their late twenties, is characterized by nightly arousal and the ongoing consumption of food during those sleeping disruptions. Individuals who may unknowingly suffer from sleep eating gain weight, increase their risks of choking while eating, and increase the possibility of injury during food preparation. People who are aware of their sleep eating disorder may attempt to lock the refrigerator or bedroom door, pay someone to sleep in the kitchen, or place signs throughout their home and in their kitchen. These actions usually are not effective, and sleep eaters should consult their physicians to determine a beneficial course of therapy.
Sleep talking is a relatively harmless parasomnia that involves verbalization in forms of muttering, speaking, whispering, moaning, singing or shouting. Most of the time, a person who talks in their sleep is completely unaware of what he or she is saying, unless they wake themselves up, an event that has been known to happen on occasion. Sleep talking tends to be more of a sleep disturbance to bed partners, roommates, and other individuals sharing a living space. From one word to entire sentences, sleep talking can be an irritating and distressing problem caused by stress, illness, or medication.
Nightmares are brushed aside as common occurrences in children, but often transpire in individuals of every age. Usually caused by distress, nightmares are vivid and terrifying nocturnal episodes in which the dreamer is abruptly awakened from sleep. Nightmares are attributed to many causes, ranging from scary movies and frightening books, to a stressful day or a traumatic life event. People who wake up from a nightmare are usually able to describe their nightmares in detail, and as a result of the visual clarity, are unable to return to sleep. Sometimes nightmares can be associated with the use of certain medications; mainly medications that affect neurotransmitter levels of the central nervous system, such as antidepressants, narcotics or barbiturates. If a person is experiencing nightmares in an irregular fashion or with unnerving consistency, seeking professional assistance would be highly recommended, as ruling out a psychiatric condition is critical.
Sleep terrors are also more common in children than in adults, and are more intense than nightmares. Sleep terrors occur when a person wakes up suddenly, usually letting out a loud scream. Most people are able to go back to sleep immediately after the episode and do not remember it the following morning, but in more aggravated cases of sleep terror, sufferers engage in frenzied activity and put themselves at risk for injury.
Get your SleepatilBottles!
