Disruptive Sleep Disorders

Many people suffer from what are known as parasomnias. These are uncommon sleep-related disorders that disrupt a normal night of sleep. They are things that arouse you from REM sleep or partially arouse you from non-REM sleep.

Different types of parasomnias that only effect men are impaired sleep related penile erection, and sleep related painful erections. Impaired sleep related penile erections occurs as a part of REM sleep, and if often a sign of erectile dysfunction because if often happens to men who are unable to maintain an erection that is sufficient enough to engage in sexual intercourse. Sleep related painful erections are erections that naturally occur during REM sleep, but become very painful and wake a man up. The treatment for these painful erections may involve drugs that suppress REM sleep.

Other parasomnias effect both men and women. These include leg cramps at night, also known as nocturnal leg cramps, nocturnal paroxysmal dystonia, REM behavior disorder, REM cardiac arrhythmias, bedwetting, sleep walking, sleep talking, and night terrors. All of these are known to be intense, and infrequent physical things that happen during sleep.

Nocturnal leg cramps are sudden and involuntary contractions of the calf muscles that happen at night, or during times of rest. These cramps can last for only a few seconds, or several minutes, but the pain may linger for a long time. They are most common to people who are middle-aged and older, but can happen to people of any age.

Nocturnal paroxysmal dystnoia, commonly known as NPD is a complex attack on the motor sensory system that happens quickly during times of non-REM sleep. It is characterized by sudden waking followed by motor sensory disturbance and posturing. It can occur several times during the night, and can cause the person suffering from it to cry, yell, walk, run, and even swear. It is thought to be a sign of epilepsy, and is usually treated with medication.

REM behavior disorder, also known as RBD is a serious REM sleep disorder, and can cause injury to the sufferer. With this sleep disorder, the person can suffer temporary paralysis while they are dreaming. This paralysis is the body's defense to help the person from physically acting out their dreams. When the person does not have this temporary paralysis, they may act out their dreams and can cause harm to themselves and others around them. The test to diagnose this sleep disorder is called a polysomnography. If RBD is diagnosed, and severe, the sufferer and their partner may need to sleep in separate rooms, and the sufferers bedroom should be on a bottom floor of the house to help prevent falls. Any dangerous objects should be removed from the bedroom to help keep the sufferer safe.

REM sleep cardiac arrhythmia is a change from the person's regular rate, or control over the heart muscle contractions. This effects those with coronary heart disease, those who have a low blood oxygen level due to breathing problems caused by sleep disorders. Continuous positive airway pressure, also called CPAP is a treatment that is commonly used to help reduce the risk of heart arrhythmias.

Bedwetting, also called sleep enuresis, is the inability to control the bladder during sleep, therefore; the inability to control the release of urine from the body. Two types of this disorder are known. One is the inability to control the bladder from infancy onward. In other words, not being toilet trained yet. The second, is the inability to control the bladder after being toilet trained for more than six months. There are some things that can help prevent bedwetting, such as not drinking any liquid for an hour before bed and urinating right before going to bed.

Sleep walking, also called somnambulism, is probably the most well-known of all parasomnias. During episodes of sleep walking, the person appears to be wide awake and is moving around, but is actually sleeping. People who suffer from sleep walking do not usually remember their actions. It usually effects children, but can happen to adults, and is thought to run in families. It happens during the non-REM sleep stages, early on in the night. It can also occur during REM sleep later in the night. Contrary to popular belief, it is not dangerous to wake a sleep walker. The person will probably be confused or disoriented for a little while when they are woke up. Not waking a sleep walker can be dangerous because they are not aware of their surroundings and can bump into things or fall and hurt themselves.

Sleep talking is known as a sleep-wake transition disorder. It is also called somniloquy. It is harmless and usually temporary. It may be harmless to the person who suffers from it, but it can be annoying and disturbing to those around. It usually does not least long and only involves simple sounds, but has been known to be words, sentences, or seemingly entire conversations held by the sufferer. The person doing the sleep talking usually has no memory of his or her actions or words that are spoken, and it does not effect their sleep. It has been known to be caused by illness that includes fever, emotional stress to other sleep disorders

Night terrors wake a person up quickly in a very terrified state. The person suffering from night terrors will wake up with signs of intense fear. Their eyes may be wide, their heart beating rapidly, fast breathing, dilated pupils, or any other sign of fear. Usually, episodes of night terrors happen during the first hour of sleep, when deep sleep begins. They last around 15 minutes, and when the person goes back to sleep, he or she will have no memory of the incident in the morning. This is because the person was never actually fully awake, it only appeared that they were. Night terrors are fairly common in children. They are similar to nightmares, but differ in when they happen during sleep. Night terrors occur during the deepest part of sleep. Being under severe emotional stress, and the use of alcohol can trigger these episodes in adults. In children, they can be caused by stress, mental disturbances, or sleep deprivation. Sleeping in a different bed than normal can also be a trigger.

Nightmares are normally very vivid and frightening dreams that happen during REM sleep. They can be brought on by anxiety, stress, illness, and even traumatic events. They are usually related to unresolved issues in a person's life, and are known to stop once the issues are resolved.

Some people experience confusion upon being woke up from a deep sleep. This is called sleep drunkenness, or excessive sleep inertia. It involves a very slow process of waking up, including slow response to commands or requests, and trouble understanding what is being said. It can cause the person to thrash around, become combative, and even yell or cry. Attempting to calm or reassure the person do not work. After a period of time, the person will calm down on his or her own. Then, the person will wake up for a little while, and fall back asleep. People that experience this disorder often have problems with short-term memory loss. It is most common in children, but can also effect adults.

Grinding teeth during sleep, also known as teeth bruxism is fairly common. Most people who suffer from this are completely unaware that they are grinding their teeth. Teeth grinding can lead to many dental problems including uneven wear of the teeth, and jaw muscle pain. A mouth guard can be worn to help to prevent teeth grinding and dental injury.

Rhythmic movement disorder is a sleep disorder in which the person may bang their head, roll their head, roll their body, or rock their body just before they go to sleep. Over sixty percent of infants that are nine months old experience this disorder to some degree. It happens just before they fall asleep.

Sleep paralysis is the inability to move one's body while falling asleep or waking up. This short period of paralysis can effect the entire body, or only part of it. It is not harmful, but can be quite scary to the sufferer. It normally stops when a sound is heard or the person is touched. After that, it does not take long for the person to be able to move again.

Most of the time, parasomnias are harmless, however; they can lead to harmful situations. If a person suffers from severe parasomnias that lead to injury or violence towards themselves or others around them, they should seek the help of a sleep specialist. Medical treatment may be needed to help the person. Treatments may include behavior modification, hypnosis, relaxation or mental imagery, and even prescription medication.