Sleep Aids, Sleeping Disorders, Treatment, Pills

Types of Parasomnias

Night terror and sleep terror are closely related to nightmares, but they can be far more emotionally intense and they take place during deep sleep rather than REM sleep.   The person who wakes up terrified may lack the coherence of some one who has just woken from a nightmare.  The appearance of wakefulness is deceiving; people with night terror may actually be experience intense confusion, and have no ability either to communicate or to hear the live voices of people around them.  They may remain in this state for up to 15 minutes before lying back down and returning to sleep.   By the next morning, they will probably have forgotten the experience.  Night terrors are dangerous primarily because people who are experiencing them may move their limbs around, kicking and screaming, without being able to comprehend what they are doing, and although they are unpredictable, they seem to be more likely occur to people who are experiencing emotional tension in their daily lives or have been consuming alcohol. 

Sleepwalking, like night terrors, is hereditary.  It is also confusing, both to the persons suffering and their loved ones.   A sleepwalker seems to be awake, and is able to walk and move around, but (s) he is actually asleep and will have no memory of his/her action after waking.   The prime hours for sleepwalking are during the deep sleep of early night and the REM sleep of early morning, and the prime sleepwalking years are during middle childhood, ages eight to twelve.   It is perfectly safe to wake up a sleepwalker; the danger lies in the sleepwalking itself because the patient is not aware of her surroundings and could trip and fall, or bump into sharp objects. 

Sleep talking: Some sleepers also talk aloud as they are dreaming; they may make brief comments, simple sounds, or give long speeches. When they wake up, they have no memory of having spoken.  Sleep talking is most likely when the sleeping person is under emotional stress or has a fever.  Unlike sleepwalking or night terrors, it is generally harmless but can disturb the sleep of other people nearby.  

Sleep paralysis is less visible to outsiders than sleepwalking, sleep talking or night terrors, but no less scary.   People with sleep paralysis are physically unable to move any part of their body when they first wake up or fall asleep.  Some of us experience sleep paralysis on a regular basis, while for others, it is just a one-time phenomenon; it isn't dangerous, but it's hardly pleasant either.   The best way to stop sleep paralysis is to be exposed to sound or touch that completes the process of waking up or falling asleep. 

Another form of non-conscious waking from sleep, officially known as "confusional arousal,” but also called  "excessive sleep inertia" or "sleep drunkenness,” consists of "exaggerated slowness upon awakening,” slow reactions to commands, and trouble understanding questions.   Like night terrors and sleepwalking, confusional arousal is not a fully conscious state; the aroused & confused person can neither communicate with others nor preserve memories of the moment. 
Babies under a year old may occasionally experience "head banging,” before they fall asleep; they will repeatedly lie flat, then lift their heads and smack their heads down on the pillow again while rocking back and forth on their hands and knees. 

Nocturnal leg cramps, the involuntary contraction of calf muscles, are another form of parasomnia.  They may last anywhere between a few seconds and 10 minutes and can cause excruciating pain to sleepers.  Unlike sleepwalking, night terrors, or nightmares, they are more common among older people than younger people, although anybody can get them, and although many cramps seem to be unrelated to any external cause, they seem to be associated with vigorous exercise, flat feet and other structural disorders, long hours spent sitting down, and dehydration.  The best ways to avoid nocturnal cramps include drinking lots of water and stretching the muscles. 

Other uncomfortable or strange parasomnias include painful erections during sleep, the inability to hold a penile erection during sleep, and nighttime seizures. These are almost certainly the side effects of other disorders unrelated to sleep, such as erectile dysfunction, epilepsy or depression.  

A final pair of parasomnias to consider are periodic limb movement disorder and restless leg syndrome.   Restless leg syndrome can make sleepers extremely uncomfortable.  It consists of a powerful, almost irresistible desire to move one's legs while in bed, and tends to go away when the patient gets up and starts to walk around.   A constant itchy twitching in the arms, calves, feet and thighs, while awake, and involuntary kicking and twitching during sleep, are all warning signs of restless leg syndrome.

Unlike some other parasomnias, restless leg syndrome can become less severe in response to changes in personal habits.  These suggested changes include avoiding alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before bed, getting regular exercise, stretching one's legs at the beginning and end of the day, regular leg massage, light meals before bedtime, regular sleep, avoidance of napping, and the preservation of the bedroom as a place only for sex and sleep.  Medications for restless leg syndrome are available, but they often have serious side effects.