Diagnostic features

Primary parasomnias:

• Pre-sleep period or sleep onset: sleep starts (sudden jerk or sensation often alarming); rhythmic movements, eg headbanging, rocking
• Early in the night in light non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep: teeth grinding, periodic limb movements (repetitive jerky movements)
• Early in the night in deep NREM sleep: confusional arousals (mainly in young children), sleepwalking, sleep (night) terrors
• Later in the night in REM (ie dreaming) sleep: nightmares, REM sleep behaviour disorder (in which dreams are acted out)
• On waking: sleep paralysis
• At various times during sleep: sleep talking, sleep-related eating disorders.
  
  

Secondary parasomnias:

• Physical: nocturnal epilepsy, awakenings associated with sleep-related breathing difficulties
• Psychiatric: panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, pseudoparasomnias (when the person is actually awake).
  

Last edited: 27/10/2003

PREVIOUS 1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT
(Page 2 of 6 in this chapter).