Parasomnia in adults and children - what kind of disease is it?

Parasomnia in adults: causes

The main causes of parasomnia include:

• Mental immaturity in children;
• Violation of sleep and wakefulness;
• Exposure to drugs;
• Infectious diseases accompanied by fever;
• Heredity (there is a genetic predisposition to sleep paralysis or epilepsy);
• Chronic stress and depression;
• Mental disorders;
• Hormonal disorders (often associated with thyroid dysfunction);
• Traumatic brain injuries;
• Consequences of shock conditions;
• Cardiovascular diseases;
• Alcohol abuse and use of prohibited substances;
• Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease;
• Pregnancy;
• Diseases of the respiratory system;
• Gastrointestinal disorders;
• Lack or excess of vitamins in the body.

Sleep disorders are associated with disruption of the areas of the brain that are responsible for inhibiting the nervous system and inducing sleep. Scientists suggest that with parasomnia, the course of slow and fast phases of sleep changes. For example, fast phases predominate over slow sleep, or vice versa, in each cycle there is a lack of fast sleep.

What is the slow and fast phase of sleep, read in this and this article.

Parasomnia can occur unnoticed. For example, the consequences of bruxism - teeth grinding - may not appear while awake. Moreover, bruxism is mainly observed in children and goes away over time. Therefore, in some cases, “mild” parasomnias are not paid attention to.

The obvious consequences of parasomnia are insomnia or hypersomnia - the opposite of insomnia, when a person sleeps 12 or more hours a day.

Various sleep disorders are often the result of mental and neurological disorders. Moreover, the latter can occur secretly.

Therapy for behavioral sleep disorders in children

Authors : Anna Ostroverkhova

Disputes around methods of getting a child to fall asleep independently always flare up in earnest. Why exactly? Because mothers evaluate the method of treating sleep disorders not according to effectiveness, but according to the principle “sorry/not sorry”, “humane/inhumane”, “works/doesn’t work”. Someone actually wrote that it’s bad when doctors mind their own business, i.e. into pedagogy.

So here it is. Before I write about the principles of teaching children to fall asleep independently, I want to clarify one important thing. Teaching a child to fall asleep independently is a behavioral therapy method. Therapy = treatment. Moreover, I specifically asked our respected psychiatrist, Sergei Vladimirovich, to write a post about what behavioral therapy is (for details and links to studies, see the original material). For a moment, cognitive behavioral therapy is the only scientifically proven technique that is included in the American guidelines for working with behavioral disorders and mental disorders! The effectiveness of other techniques that psychiatrists love so much (NLP, hypnosis, etc.) has not been proven in large studies and is still in question.

After all, few people discuss whether it is humane or inhumane to cut off a person’s entire organ (tonsils or gallbladder, for example) if there are medical indications for this. You can take the situation to the point of absurdity: nature didn’t come up with anything superfluous, since there is an appendix, that means it’s not superfluous. Plus, it is removed in the operating room, under anesthesia, and anesthesia is harmful, separation from your mother in the operating room is harmful, recovering from anesthesia is tearful, staying in the hospital is stressful. Let's not remove the inflamed appendix.

But still, we understand that there is a benefit-risk ratio (which the doctor evaluates every time before suggesting this or that treatment method), and the benefit of an appendectomy or removal of the gallbladder with stones clearly outweighs the risk from inaction or complications that may arise during the operation, or stress, which both adults and children will inevitably experience.

So why do parents not give their personal assessment of operative or conservative types of treatment, but heatedly discuss behavior therapy? In my opinion, it is a matter of parental responsibility and involvement in the process. When performing an operation or prescribing medication, responsibility falls largely on the doctor. The role of parents is minimal. But in behavioral therapy, responsibility for the results of treatment falls equally on the doctor and parents. It is important for the doctor to correctly explain the principles of treatment, to correctly select the teaching method, and for parents it is important not to make mistakes and strictly follow the specialist’s instructions. Well, if we talk about involvement in the process, then all the work, in principle, falls on the shoulders of the parents. Therefore, mothers, being potentially active participants in the process, evaluate it by trying it on themselves and give a personal assessment of the method. This is probably not a bad thing...

The only question is that publicly expressing a personal position (and in most cases this is done by those mothers whose children, in principle, sleep well, and they simply try on the acceptability of the technique) can traumatize mothers who have already used these techniques or are about to use them . I know many stories when both mother and child suffered from sleep disorders, but did not dare to correct them, because they could not get out of their heads the words of women who did not use these methods, did not intend to use them, and whose children generally sleep well , but they publicly assessed these methods: “Gestapo”, “inhumane”, “this is how you should not love your child”...

There are even entire research works that examine the reasons why parents prefer to suffer from child sleep disorders and its consequences (bad mood, tantrums, decreased attention and memory) than to teach the child to fall asleep independently.

So I want to remind moms again: when done correctly, behavior therapy is proven to be effective and safe. And other correction methods have not yet been invented.

Indications for behavioral therapy for sleep disorders:

• Disorder of sleep and wakefulness (the number of daytime sleeps is less than normal or they are short (up to 40 minutes), late onset of night sleep).
• Difficulty falling asleep (in order for the child to fall asleep, active actions are required from the parents: rocking, feeding, rolling in a stroller, wearing in a sling, while the speed of falling asleep exceeds 15 minutes, and the degree of parental participation in falling asleep only increases over time).
• Difficulties in maintaining a state of sleep (the child often wakes up, and awakenings are not associated with hunger, and in order to fall asleep, he needs the help of an adult, falling asleep takes longer than 15 minutes).
• Early final awakening (the child starts the day before 6 am, as a rule, wakes up in a bad mood).
• Parasomnias (night hysterics, nightmares).

With all this, the child should show signs of lack of sleep: the baby wakes up in a bad mood, is whiny during the day, has tantrums out of nowhere, is overexcited, very active (often closer to the night) or, conversely, falls asleep in the afternoon during quiet times. games, without waiting for signals from the parents, the child sleeps at any opportunity (in the car, sling, stroller, while the sleep time does not correspond to the regime established by the parents, but as soon as the movement stops, the child wakes up), the child always falls asleep with tears.

The work is carried out with somatically healthy children, and in the case of chronic diseases, the child must be in remission. Up to 6 months (with IV) and 9 months (with breastfeeding), night feedings are maintained. Cancellation of night feedings is decided on an individual basis, in agreement with the pediatrician and breastfeeding consultant (if the mother has problems with breastfeeding).

So what is behavioral therapy for sleep disorders?

We offer the child a new model of behavior - falling asleep independently. To do this, after carrying out all the necessary procedures for preparing for bed, we put the baby in the crib and leave the room. Next, depending on the chosen technique, we either interact with the baby (returning to him), reinforcing correct behavior and ignoring unwanted behavior, or we do not interact at all.

The simpler the rules that we convey to the child, the faster he understands and accepts them, the faster the effect is achieved. But there is one “but”.

The more radically the conditions and rules for falling asleep change, the more actively the child protests these changes.

This leads to two conclusions:

1. The most important thing in learning to fall asleep independently is to prepare the child for new rules and conditions so that once work on the method begins, the changes are minimal, which means that the child’s protest is minimal. Our task before the start of training is to provide the child with comfortable sleeping conditions, build a sleep and wakefulness schedule according to the child’s age characteristics (so that when the child gets into the crib, he wants to sleep), introduce rituals for falling asleep (thus showing the baby through actions that bedtime will soon come). And this preparation takes up 90% of all work on the baby’s sleep.
2. The simpler the rules, the more understandable they are to the child (which means the child will accept them in the shortest possible time), but the more radical the changes in the conditions for falling asleep, the brighter the baby’s protest.

In simple terms, the fastest and most effective methods require minimal parental participation (because the ultimate goal is to get the child to fall asleep without the participation of adults), but are accompanied by violent protest from the baby. The softer the method (i.e. the change in the conditions for falling asleep is gradual), the more active participation of parents in the process is required, the less clear the rules for falling asleep are for the child, the longer the child needs to learn these rules, which means that we will see the effect of training Later. But the baby’s protest will not be as bright as in quick methods.

Radical or quick methods

Crying Elimination Method

After completing the usual rituals and wishing good night, the adult leaves the room and ignores all manifestations of the child’s dissatisfaction until the morning. In this way, a new rule is conveyed to the child: now you fall asleep on your own, without the help of adults, and sleep in the crib until the morning.

Since the rules are very simple, the child quickly understands and accepts them, and after 3-5 days he falls asleep on his own, without tears, and because... If the change in usual conditions is radical, then learning is accompanied by a strong protest on the part of the child.

But nevertheless, there are children and parents for whom this particular teaching method is suitable, for example, children over 9 months old, who are energetic and stubborn, and therefore only get excited by the presence of adults. And also to parents with very strong nerves, confident in the sequence of their actions (if an adult responds to crying at least once, this gives the baby false hope of returning to the previous rules for falling asleep and increases the manifestations of dissatisfaction).

More details about the methodology can be found in the book by M. Weissbluth “Healthy sleep - happy child.”

Controlled crying method

After completing the usual rituals and wishing good night, the adult leaves the room, but if the child cries, he returns to the baby 3 minutes after the start of crying and calms him down in the crib. It is better not to pick up the baby (this will calm him down faster, but getting into the crib will cause a new wave of excitement). When the child calms down, the parent leaves the room again. If the baby starts crying again, then the adult enters the room after 5 minutes. Thus, by increasing the intervals between the start of the child’s crying and the parent’s return to the room, adults act until the baby falls asleep.

The rules for the child remain quite simple: the child falls asleep on his own in the crib, but the behavior of the parents makes the task a little more difficult for the child. On the one hand, parents react to the child’s crying and enter the room to calm the baby, as if reinforcing his protest; on the other hand, as soon as the baby has calmed down, the parents still leave the room, broadcasting the immutability of the new rule: now the baby falls asleep in the crib myself.

Due to visits from parents, the adaptation process is delayed, so you have to wait for results not in 3-5 days, but in 7-10. Due to radical changes in the usual conditions for falling asleep, the child’s protest will be especially strong, but parents have the opportunity to participate in calming the baby.

This method has many fans, because... it is quite fast, but at the same time does not completely exclude the interaction between an adult and a child, helping parents to more easily endure the baby’s tears.

You can learn more about the methodology in the books: R. Ferber “A Child’s Dream. The solution to all problems”, E. Estiville “Sleep peacefully”.

Gentle techniques that prevent the child from crying alone

Chair method

After completing the usual rituals and wishing good night, the adult leaves the room, but if the child cries, he returns to the baby and sits on a chair previously placed next to the crib. The adult who puts the baby to bed sits next to the child and does not leave the room until he falls asleep completely. The parent can help the baby calm down in the crib with his hands or voice. After two or three nights, the chair is gradually moved away from the crib and the degree of adult participation in falling asleep is reduced. This algorithm is followed until the chair is outside the room.

Due to the fact that the rules change (every three days the adult changes his position relative to the crib and reduces the degree of his participation in the baby’s falling asleep), the child needs more time to understand what is required of him and to learn the new rule for falling asleep, so learning is delayed on average for 2 weeks. But the changes in the conditions for falling asleep are not so radical (if the baby is used to falling asleep in the presence of an adult, then he continues to fall asleep with an adult sitting in the room), so the protest is minimal.

The method is suitable for children who have a hard time with separation (often babies who have just learned to crawl or walk), and for parents who are patient and consistent enough, but cannot allow the child to cry alone.

You can learn more about this technique in Kim West’s book “Good Night, Sleep Tight.”

The "Hug and Put" method

After completing the usual rituals and wishing good night, the adult leaves the room, but if the child cries, he returns to the baby.

Every time a child starts to cry, an adult picks him up, hugs him, soothes him, and puts him back as soon as the crying stops. If the baby begins to show anxiety again, you need to pick him up again and calm him down, and then return him to the crib. The process is repeated until the child falls asleep. The most important thing is that the child falls asleep in the crib, and not in his mother’s arms.

In this technique, it is even more difficult for a child to understand the rule of falling asleep independently, because The behavior of the parents is ambiguous - they seem to take him in their arms at the first request and calm him down, but on the other hand, they still put him in the crib. Therefore, the laying process itself is delayed for an hour or even longer, and work according to the method lasts up to 3-4 weeks, until the baby understands and learns the new rule. But in this method, the child does not cry alone, but always calms down in his mother/father’s arms.

The technique is suitable for patient parents, ready for long work, for whom constant presence with the child is important.

You can learn more about the methodology in the books: T. Hogg “What does your baby want”; E. Pantley “How to put your baby to sleep without crying.”

***

It is impossible to say which of these methods is better and which is worse. They all work, they all have their pros and cons. It is important to choose a method that will correspond to the philosophy of upbringing in the family, suit the child’s temperament and age, and also correspond to the parents’ ability to follow the method.

You can not limit yourself to any one technique, but combine techniques, moving from soft to more radical.

Thank you for your attention! With wishes of sweet dreams, pediatric neurologist Anna Maksimovna Ostroverkhova

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published 17/08/2018 20:25 updated 08/01/2019 — Pedagogy and psychology, Sleep, Nervous, mental and psychological diseases

Types of parasomnias and their symptoms

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is often observed in children aged 5-17 years. Some experts consider childhood sleepwalking to be a normal variant. This is explained by the immaturity of the nervous system. In adults, somnambulism (as sleepwalking is also called) occurs after severe stress.

In a sleepy state, a person can do simple actions. For example, opening doors, turning lights on/off, etc. At the same time, some sleepwalkers manage to get paper and start writing text or even drawing on it. Others may unknowingly pick up a guitar, sit at the piano and play something. Moreover, all these actions are completely unconscious.

Sleepwalking can pose a health risk . When sleepwalking, a person can trip and injure himself. Going outside in this state is also risky. A person is at greatest risk when he opens windows, goes out onto the balcony, or picks up sharp objects.

It is impossible to wake a person in such a state, and it is difficult to do so. Waking up during a period of somnambulism can greatly frighten him, which will have a detrimental effect on mental health.

Sleep paralysis

During an attack of this type of parasomnia, it is impossible to move. At the same time, there are no problems with breathing and movement of the eyeballs. The disease manifests itself when falling asleep and/or waking up, that is, when the muscles are as relaxed as possible.

The first attacks of paralysis are accompanied by severe stress. But the person does not understand why the body stopped listening to him.

The standard diagnostic method, polysomnography, may not show the presence of sleep paralysis. To identify sleep disorders, EEG is additionally used - electroencephalography, MSLT testing , etc.

Provoking factors

There are many reasons for the occurrence of nocturnal parasomnias in a child. The main source of the problem is the immaturity of the nervous system. Provoking factors are also:

1. Negative emotional environment in the home, stress, fear, intense feelings. They are expressed in the form of motor activity during sleep, manifested by twitching, muscle spasms, convulsions, sitting or walking, and nightmares.
2. Infectious or inflammatory diseases. As a result of hyperthermia and fever, which often accompany serious illnesses, disruptions in the functioning of the central nervous system occur. Stupefaction and a state of disorientation are especially noticeable.
3. Effect of medications. Some drugs can have a stimulating effect on the baby, while others have a calming effect. Side effects of certain medications can disrupt the sleep phase relationship . When the slow stage begins to predominate, awakenings become more frequent.
4. Heredity. If one of the parents suffers from sleep disorders, then the likelihood of similar manifestations in the child increases significantly. About 60% of children suffering from parasomnia have the disorder due to a genetic predisposition.
5. Diet. Changing your usual diet, eating heavy fatty foods before bed, spicy foods, and preservatives stimulates a long digestion process. As a result, the body cannot go into a resting state, and the central nervous system cannot enter the inhibition stage. This makes it difficult to fall asleep and enter a deep sleep phase.
6. Violation of the regime. Late going to bed and falling asleep, early forced awakening, irregular sleep, its lack or excess, as well as violations of the daily routine cause an imbalance in the system of wakefulness and rest. Parasomnias can be a consequence of time zone change, transition to summer or winter time, irregular daytime sleep or lack of it at a certain age .

We recommend reading: Sleepwalking in children at night: causes, symptoms

Parasomnia in children: symptoms and treatment

The symptoms of the disorder in children are not much different from the manifestations of parasomnias in adults. In childhood, among parasomnias, sleepwalking, night terrors and nightmares, teeth grinding, enuresis, and sleep talking are more common.

Signs of parasomnia in children are divided into obvious and implicit. The first include:

• Regularly getting out of bed at night in an unconscious state;
• The child does not respond to your words during night walks around the house;
• Slightly open eyes with a blank look;
• Unreasonable crying or screaming at night;
• Unpleasant grinding of teeth in sleep;
• Wet bed after sleep;
• Convulsions;
• Talking in your sleep.

Subtle symptoms of parasomnia in children are:

• Difficulty waking up;
• Lethargy and confusion after sleep;
• Disorientation in space;
• Lethargy and lack of strength during the day;
• Decreased appetite;
• Sweating for no apparent reason;
• Anxiety;
• Tearfulness.

Diagnosis of parasomnia in children is carried out in the same way as in adults. The examination plan includes a visit to the doctor, polysomnography, MRI of the brain, EEG, and consultation with a child psychologist.

Treatment of parasomnia in children consists of normalizing the child’s sleep patterns, psychotherapy, taking sedative medications, physiotherapy, etc. Sedatives are prescribed exclusively by a pediatrician.

Parasomnias not associated with serious illnesses usually go away with age. Such parasomnias are sleep talking, bruxism, motor activity at night, and mild sleepwalking.

To prevent parasomnias in a child, it is recommended to talk to him more often, spend time, and not scold the child over trifles. After all, most nighttime disorders arise due to mental disorders due to stress in the child.

Reasons for appearance

• Nervous disorders, stress and depression;
• Hormonal imbalance;
• Diseases of the central nervous system;
• Chronic fatigue;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• Lack of vitamins or excess;
• Diseases of the respiratory system (asthma, etc.);
• Parkinson's disease;
• Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Fever;
• Having bad habits (drinking alcohol, smoking);
• Side effects from taking medications;
• Pregnancy.

Children often face this problem due to an unformed child’s psyche and rapid overexcitation.

Why do such violations occur?

Parasomnia in children can develop against the background of one or another disease. In adults, anomalies appear due to:

1. Depressive state.
2. Stress.
3. Caffeine abuse.
4. Taking drugs.
5. Heartburn.
6. Sleep apnea.
7. Taking tricyclic antidepressant.

Diagnosis of parasomnia

Basically, the disorders described above are treated by a psychotherapist, psychologist, somnologist, neurologist, or a number of doctors at once. If during the diagnosis it turns out that parasomnia is a secondary disease, they are referred to specialists for treatment of the primary disease. As practice shows, parasomnia for the most part is a consequence of another pathology.

If you detect symptoms of any type of parasomnia, consult a somnologist or neurologist . The doctor will examine you, conduct a survey and refer you for polysomnography with video monitoring. The procedure is performed at night in a specialized center. Before polysomnography begins, medical staff will create a sleeping environment and connect sensors and sleep monitoring equipment to the body. Polysomnography results are usually ready the next morning.

Polysomnography helps identify the stages of sleep and see what is happening in the brain during this period. During the diagnosis, the pulse, breathing rhythm, volume of exhaled carbon dioxide, blood oxygen saturation, and the presence of movement disorders, including epilepsy, are also determined.

Since the cause of parasomnia often lies in the functioning of the nervous system, the brain is additionally examined. To do this, an EEG with samples, MRI/CT of the brain, and ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and head .

Psychotherapy and consultation with a psychiatrist are often necessary procedures. Additionally, the patient undergoes psychological tests to determine the personality structure.

The diagnostic plan for parasomnia is usually as follows:

• Laboratory tests - general blood test, biochemical blood test, etc.
• Polysomnography is the detection of disturbances in the functioning of the body during sleep.
• EEG – electroencephalography.
• MRI or CT
• Examination by a neurologist.
• Ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck.
• Consultation with a psychologist/psychotherapist.
• Reception of narrow specialists as necessary.

Conditions classified as parasomnias

Let us highlight the main disorders that accompany falling asleep and waking up in children:

1. Enuresis . The baby does not wake up when he wants to urinate, which usually happens after 5 years.
2. Lack of clarity on awakening . The child does not understand well what is wrong with him, does not respond to speech, and is disoriented.
3. Sleepwalking . Children sit up in bed, speak indistinctly, sometimes walk, while continuing to sleep.
4. Nightmares . Dreams are vivid and scary, with chases and monsters.
5. Bruxism . Children clench their jaws, teeth grinding is heard.
6. Fears . Waking up is accompanied by crying, restlessness, tossing, and increased heart rate.

Each age has a set of the most common disorders. Night terrors are often present until adolescence.

Let us highlight the main reasons that provoke the development of parasomnia in childhood:

1. Emotional and physical overload, excessive impressionability and fatigue, stress.
2. Hereditary factors.
3. Acute pathologies affect the functions of the nervous system, causing sleep disturbances.
4. Taking medications that affect the central nervous system.
5. Instability of the regime, going to bed at different times, changing time zones.
6. Overeating at night, eating heavy spicy food at late times.

All these factors disrupt the functioning of the already unformed nervous system, which reacts by shifting the sleep-wake phases.

With a wide variety of forms of parasomnia, the characteristic symptoms vary greatly. In general, it can be determined that the child remains lethargic and overwhelmed after waking up. Getting up in the morning is accompanied by uncertainty and fear. A bad rest does not bring cheerfulness; the baby is often whiny and in a bad mood.

Complications of parasomnia include injuries during night walking and nervous system disorders. The child becomes overly excitable or lethargic, is afraid to go to bed, puts off going to bed, becoming even more tired.

With bruxism, in addition to thinning tooth enamel, the gums often become inflamed.

Sleepwalking

This type of parasomnia in children represents a huge range of behavioral and motor abnormalities. The main clinical manifestations include sitting in bed, walking around the room and apartment. In some cases, the child may even leave the house.

This anomaly passes in a fairly calm state. Typically, a child suffering from sleepwalking has great difficulty waking up and appears confused and anxious upon awakening. He cannot remember his nightly adventures.

The percentage of people under thirteen years of age who suffer from sleepwalking is not so large. Statistics say that there are only seventeen percent of lunatics in our country.

Night terrors

This form of parasomnia in children can occur several hours after a person has gone to bed. Night terrors for a child are not the most pleasant thing. It manifests itself as follows: an awakened child lies in bed with his eyes open, shaking all over his body. Younger children may scream or cry. In some cases, parasomnias in children manifest themselves in:

• vomiting;
• tachycardia;
• sweating;
• increasing muscle tone.

Despite the fact that night terrors do not pose a serious threat to a child’s life, being in this state can injure both himself and others.

Night terrors occur in people under the age of fifteen.

We recommend reading: Changing time zones: adaptation

Nightmares

At the very end of the sleep cycle, the child may experience a nightmare. Most often this happens late in the evening.

The main difference between nightmare visions is their image, full of anxiety and real horror. Upon awakening, the child may experience either intense fear or sadness. But awakening occurs without problems, and no disorientation is observed. The risk group includes young children under five years of age. The frequency of nightmare manifestations decreases as the child grows older.

FBS-related violations

Accompanied by stiffness of movements during REM sleep. Has a connection with dreams. Mainly observed in men.

Hereditary sleep paralysis

This form of parasomnia in children is characterized by unexpected awakening from sleep. At the same time, the limbs become numb and the person is completely immobile for some time.

The disease most often occurs against the background of a genetic predisposition, and therefore is difficult to treat.

Dissociative disorders

Emotional and mental reactions before falling asleep. This is what victims of violence face. Dissomnia syndrome is accompanied by confused consciousness.

Attacks last from several minutes to 1 hour. A person usually does not remember such cases.

Eating disorders

They are connected with the fact that a person unconsciously wakes up to drink water and eat. Women usually face this problem.

The reasons are hidden in prolonged depression, alcohol and drug use. In the morning, a person does not remember the occurrence of such episodes.

Urinary incontinence

This type of parasomnia occurs not only in young children, but also in adolescents and even adults. This disorder is based on nervous and psychosomatic abnormalities. It can either be inherited or acquired as a result of shock, shock or quite serious injury.

Movement disorders (myoclonus)

Active twitching of the arms and legs during sleep is also classified as nocturnal parasomnia. They are usually associated with nightmares and are more pronounced in men.

Movement disorders can be as simple as subtle hand gestures, or they can involve complex body movements. A person can get out of bed, start talking to himself, screaming, and actively waving his arms.

Parasomnia is most often observed in older people. This distinguishes the pathology from sleepwalking, which is more common in children.

Symptoms of nocturnal movement disorders are associated with dementia, cerebrovascular accidents due to stroke, and other brain lesions.

Exploding head syndrome

The main symptom of parasomnia is a noise in the head, similar to a gunshot, while falling asleep or waking up. Experts believe that chronic stress and its consequences are the primary cause. Due to constant anxiety, the transmission of neuroimpulses in the area of ​​the brain that is responsible for inhibiting the psyche before sleep is disrupted. As a result, a neural surge occurs, which manifests itself as a loud noise in the head.

Night moans

Loud sounds other than articulate speech are classified as nocturnal moaning. The cause of the disease is emotional instability.

Moaning during sleep can be regarded as a symptom of sexsomnia , a sleep disorder in which a person is sexually active. However, night moans do not always carry sexual overtones. Often this is simply an unconscious pronunciation of vowels with a certain frequency.

Parasomnia is characterized by a calm facial expression. Such episodes last from 2-3 minutes to 1-2 hours. As a rule, nighttime moaning does not affect the quality of sleep.

Talking in your sleep

Sleep speaking or somniloquy mainly manifests itself in children 3-15 years old. By adulthood, nighttime talkativeness usually goes away.

The main reasons for talking in a dream are nervous excitement, stress, and the formation of the speech apparatus in children. Somniloquy should be treated when it poses a health threat. For example, during night conversations, difficulty breathing, severe teeth grinding, or aggressive behavior are observed.

Bruxism

Basically, bruxism or teeth grinding at night occurs in children and is associated with the immaturity of the child’s psyche, malocclusion or ENT diseases. In adults, the causes of night grinding are chronic stress, brain injury and neurological pathologies.

Bruxism is treated by a neurologist, psychologist, and otolaryngologist. The specialization of the attending physician depends on the cause of parasomnia.

Treatment of parasomnia

Treatment for a sleep disorder depends on its cause and the possible complications it caused. If you have symptoms of at least one of the parasomnias described above, consult your doctor. Sleep diseases are dealt with by somnologists, psychologists, neurologists and psychotherapists.

Therapy begins with changing sleep and wakefulness patterns. Doctors recommend going to bed and waking up at the same time. To fall asleep faster, it is recommended to follow a ritual - a set of actions that set you up for sleep. This includes reading books, taking a bath or shower.

With enuresis, the patient is woken up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet. Motor parasomnias (sleepwalking, parasomnia, etc.) must be safe for a person and his household. All sharp and cutting objects and glass vases are removed from the bedroom, and the windows are tightly closed.

Treatment for parasomnia includes psychoanalysis and behavioral therapy. Both methods involve talking with a psychologist and following his recommendations.

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To get rid of parasomnia, physical therapy is used. For example, acupuncture, electrosleep, phototherapy, massage, physical therapy.

Along with the above treatment methods, medications are prescribed. Benzodiazepines (Phenazepam, Diazepam, etc.), anxiolytics (Phenibut), antidepressants (Amitriptyline, Imipramine, Sertraline, Paroxetine), nootropics (piracetam, Noopept, etc.), tranquilizers (Mebicar) are used.

Herbal medicine complements well the treatment of parasomnia. These include valerian, motherwort, mint and other sedative herbs.

Prevention

How to prevent parasomnia in children? Pediatricians give the following recommendations:

Such measures will help minimize the risk of developing parasomnia. Every parent needs to heed this advice from doctors. After all, healthy and sound sleep is very important for a child.

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