Parasomnia Treatment | Hattiesburg Clinic

Parasomnia Overview

Parasomnia is a broad description of sleep disorders that include sleepwalking, night terrors, confusional arousals, sleep paralysis, REM sleep behavior disorder and others. Essentially, all these disorders are characterized by abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions or dreams. Most parasomnias affect children, especially sleepwalking and night terrors.

At Hattiesburg Clinic, we perform overnight sleep studies to monitor various body functions during sleep, including brain waves, heart rate, breathing and eye and limb movements to help us diagnose parasomnia.

What causes parasomnias?
Sleepwalking
Night Terrors
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
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What causes parasomnias?

Most parasomnias are genetic and are most common in those who have a family history of sleep disorders. Some parasomnias are a symptom of other disorders, like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Lack of sleep, disrupted sleep patterns or high fever can also trigger parasomnias.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a specific parasomnia most common in children. While a sleepwalker may be performing tasks like they are awake, they often have a glassy look in their eye and have no memory of the sleepwalking event. Since sleepwalking typically occurs during deep non-REM sleep, it is best not to wake a sleepwalker, instead guiding them gently back to their bed.

If you are experiencing frequent or severe sleepwalking episodes, the sleep medicine team at Hattiesburg Clinic can help.

Night Terrors

Approximately six percent of children experience night terrors. More than normal nightmares, these terrors include fear, screaming, thrashing, sweating, rapid heart rate and confusion, all while the person is still asleep. Night terrors usually occur in the first few hours after falling asleep, before REM sleep has set in. Our sleep medicine providers can work closely with our psychological team to provide therapy to address underlying psychological issues that may be contributing to frequent night terrors.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM sleep behavior disorder is where patients act out their dreams during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, due to a lack of normal muscle paralysis. These dreams are often violent and aggressive, so actions include kicking, punching, jumping from the bed, yelling and/or screaming. REM sleep behavior disorder can cause self-injury or physical harm to those sleeping in the same bed.

It is often experienced during withdrawal from alcohol or drugs, but those with Parkinson’s or dementia are more likely to suffer from this. In addition to good sleep hygiene, we often treat REM sleep behavior disorder with clonazepam to eliminate symptoms.

Parasomnia

Parasomnia Overview

What causes parasomnias?

Sleepwalking

Night Terrors

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

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