| Parasomnia |
If "strange things" happen while sleepingParasomnia is one of the two major categories of primary sleep disorders to which many different disorders count, among which are:
Nightmares:
Every person has a bad dream now and then. If nightmares occur frequently, however, they can affect the sleep quality massively. Triggers can be topical events and strains. However, people also often dream badly even if no stressful situations exist in the present or recent past. Most often the causes are traumatic experiences from the childhood which are not always consciously remembered. In such situations a psychotherapist can be helpful. Certain drugs can also be taken for temporary relief but they also suppress the REM sleep in which is predominantly dreamt. to the top Pavor nocturnus (Sleep terror disorder):
At first sight Pavor nocturnus (Latin for „night fright“) resembles nightmares. On this occasion, the affected person experiences extremely frightening situations, is confused, commits automatic actions in the sleep, can be woken only with difficulty and can often not remember the night events anymore. Pavor nocturnus can be brought on by sleep deficiency, alcohol, fever, stress and certain drugs. It most often occurs in the first half of the night. to the top Somnambulism (Sleepwalking):
Sleepwalking can also be brought on by these same factors. This disorder is relatively frequent with children, but only about four out of 100 adults suffer from it. Unfortunately, the much-sworn upon “sleepwalking security” doesn’t exist. On the contrary, it often comes to serious injuries. This is why sleepwalkers must also be treated if it occurs more frequently. Precautions like blocking off of windows and doors are important. Certain behaviour-therapeutic measures like, for example, waking up 30 to 60 minutes before the usual time, relaxation methods, or sleeping during the day in order to dismantle the deep sleep phase, etc, can help. In certain cases drugs are used. to the top Bruxism (Teeth grinding):
Although bruxism is not dangerous, it can cause head aches and chronic jaw pain and also lead to permanent dental damage. Help can come in the form of custom-fitted plastic appliances called night guards which should be worn at night to decrease the wear of the teeth and the strain of the jaw joints. Stress management and behavior modification techniques may also be useful to break the habit of clenching and teeth grinding. to the top Sleep paralysis:
With sleep paralysis the affected person cannot move for a certain time if he awakes at night. This can be frightening but is, nonetheless, not dangerous. It is important that a diagnosis of narcolepsy is eliminated with which, besides other complaints, bring similar occurrences of paralysis in the night. to the top Talking in your sleep: Enuresis (Bed-wetting):
Bed wetting occurs predominantly with children and can point to mental stress or physiological problems, such as urinary tract infection, severe constipation, or spinal cord injury. In adults, physical conditions like diseases of the kidney or bladder, and also epilepsy can exist in addition to, in some cases, psychotic evidence. to the top Behavioral disorder in the REM sleep:
The musculature is usually completely relaxed in the REM sleep ("dream sleep"), so that the dreams cannot be acted out. However, with behavioural disorders in the REM sleep it comes to movements during dreams, generally 80-90 minutes after falling asleep or in the second half of the night. These episodes normally continue less than one minute. The sleeper is in danger of injuring him/herself. Moreover, the sleep is interrupted and the regeneration effect of the sleep decreases. During these phases the affected one can easily be woken up, is not confused afterwards and can usually remember the dream. Mostly affected are men over 60. In some cases a REM sleep behavioural disorder is the first sign for Parkinson's disease or other neurological diseases. Some drugs can also be triggers. |
