“Parasomnia is a type of sleep disorder causing sudden movements while sleeping. Jerking of legs, legs cramps, and night terrors are some common symptoms.”
1. Know about Parasomnia
❖ Parasomnia is a sleep disorder in which the affected person suffers from sudden and quirky movements. These movements generally happen when the brain shifts its functioning from deep-slumber to rapid eye movement sleep.
❖ Abnormal movements, a sudden change in behavior and emotions, undesirable perceptions and fearful dreams are very common with people suffering from parasomnia.
❖ This happens as the brain cells start hyperactivity which leads to frequent movements and disrupts sleeping patterns of an individual.
❖ It can be caused by some other sleeping disorders like sleep apnea or sleep behavior disorder. It can be caused due to side-effects of certain medications.
2. Parasomnia: Symptoms
This health condition includes several disturbances and parasomnia symptoms can be identified through the following traits
❖ Sleepwalking or somnambulism is one of the most common symptoms found in the individuals affected by parasomnia. In this condition, a person starts walking in the sleep and can go anywhere without knowing the destination. One can go outside the house, may enter some other house, can lay down somewhere else or may even run out of fear. People are found with incidents of kicking and biting unknowingly, while walking in sleep.
❖ This is a kind of disorder where brain activities are hyper vigilant. In this situation, the affected person may get tremors of extreme fear and awake frequently out of loud and howling scream. It can be due to a nightmare. However, in most cases, people can hardly remember what they exactly saw or felt and got terrified.
❖ There is another very common symptom but many of us confuse it with a normal tiredness. It is called confused arousal. One may get slurred speech, slow cognitive process, bad memory, and blunt responses. This usually happens if the person is awakened by some extreme noise or any other person. These arousals may last from few minutes to an hour.
❖ Sleep paralysis is also one of the symptoms where the affected person cannot move the body freely while slumbering. This can even happen within few minutes of waking up. This ailment can be a frequent process as well as it can occur once or twice in a lifetime, depending on the intensity of parasomnia.
3. Parasomnia: Causes
There are several factors causing parasomnia and its related sleep disorders.
❖ Parasomnia causes can be genetic factors which have been inherited by genes.
❖ This medical condition is generally caused by hyperactivity of the brain cells which involves increased heart rate, elevated attention and rapid respiration amid of sleep-wake cycle transitions.
❖ Stress, anxiety, depression, lack of rest and any other disturbance like sleep apnea or narcolepsy may also cause such illness.
4. Parasomnia: Precautions and Treatment
Parasomnia treatment should be taken after consulting a medical practitioner working in this field. Before that certain precautions must also be taken.
❖ Individuals suffering from such illness should not be left stranded, on the top of a roof or in a dark room. If possible, they must be laid down on the ground to sleep.
❖ An alarm clock or bell should be hanged on the door so that if the patient moves, it can be noticed.
❖ Dangerous and sharp objects like knife, scissors or rods should be kept away from the reach of the affected individuals.
❖ Benzodiazepines are recommended to treat parasomnia as it functions on the brain cells and balances the hyperactivity. Antidepressants and opiates can also be effective and fruitful medications.
Parasomnia is a disruptive sleep disorder. It can be treated with beneficial medicines like codeine and anti-anxiety medicines like diazepam. Although, proper consultation must be taken from a doctor before choosing any medicine.