Parasomnia is a group of sleep disorders. It is nothing more than the involuntary movements and behaviors that occur during sleep. Examples of parasomnia include: sleepwalking, sleep talking, night terrors, sleep paralysis. Such disorders occur in one to several percent of people and usually affect people over 50 years of age.
Parasomnia – causes
Despite the fact that a parasomnia looks quite dangerous, it usually poses no threat to the sleeping person or to those in the immediate vicinity. In adults, parasomnia occurs most often only episodically. Among the causes, we can distinguish, for example, stress to which the sleeper is exposed. Sometimes too little sleep can contribute to the development of parasomnia. If you want to avoid these repetitive behaviors, it is worth regulating your sleep rhythm. It is imperative to introduce regular bedtime. Such people should get the best possible sleep. Parasomnias can occur during the deep sleep phase as well as the REM phase. Disorders that occur in the deep phase are most often caused by insufficient awakening. These disorders are most often observed in children up to 8 years of age. All because this dream lasts the longest at this age. If parasomnias occur during REM sleep, they are most likely related to dreams. The REM phase in a healthy person is such that during its duration the nervous connection between the brain and muscles is broken. If this is disturbed, then the dreamer transfers all his dreams to reality. It manifests itself with screams and jerks. This may be incomprehensible to the person who is looking at the sleeping person.
The most famous disorder is sleepwalking. It occurs during the deep sleep phase. The behavior of a person with sleepwalking can be very different. Most often, however, she sits on the bed, gets up and walks around the room. It happens that people who sleepwalk go outside in their sleep. This is very dangerous because the affected person is not aware of what they are doing. It should be noted that a person who is asleep must not be awakened under any circumstances. All because she can react aggressively. All we can do is gently hold the sleepwalker and lead them to bed. If we do it the right way, the person should not wake up. Another type is the intoxication intoxication. This is the state right after waking up. It is characterized by the awakened person gibbering, moving strangely, and giving wrong answers to simple and obvious questions. This usually takes a few minutes. Most often, this disorder is observed in children under 5 years of age. Awakened from sleep, the child cries or throws toys.
Bruxism is another type of parasomnia. It is nothing more than the grinding of the teeth that occurs while sleeping. This situation may damage the enamel and wear off the tooth crowns. In extreme cases, the crowns may also become loose. The causes of bruxism include long-term stress and malocclusion.
- Check: What is sleep paralysis and what are its causes?
Parasomnias – treatment
Treatment is mainly based on increasing the amount of time allotted to sleep. Sometimes taking naps during the day can bring relief. They should last no less than 20-30 minutes. If the disturbance is more severe and there is a risk of unsafe behavior, it is a good idea to remove all potentially dangerous items from the bedroom area. Windows should be secured. Pharmacological treatment is not recommended if the disorders are rare. However, if such seizures are frequent and may result in injury, a benzodiazepine derivative may be used at bedtime. However, it should be noted that these should be small doses. It is worth mentioning that drugs of this type can lead to addiction, and they can worsen intellectual functioning. There are also other treatments. It is possible to use antidepressants. Moreover, if we suffer from chronic stress, we should focus on relaxation. Besides, it is necessary to take care of overall health.
Parasomnias in children
Most sleep disorders occur in children. In this case, parasomnias are usually episodic and pass as the child grows. Additionally, such sleep disorders may occur in children suffering from ADHD, Down’s syndrome or Tourette’s syndrome. It is worth noting that the need for sleep varies depending on the age of the child. Inadequate sleep increases the risk of parasomnia. Remember that a newborn can sleep up to 18 hours a day. In turn, a child in preschool age only 11-13 hours. However, this is still more than an adult needs. If your baby wakes up frequently, this is a natural phenomenon. All because at the very beginning there are problems with the transition between phases of sleep. This situation will change as the child grows up.