3 Sleeping Disorders You Should Know

Tagged Under : disorder, sleep

Have you ever had that experience where you suddenly woke up and found yourself somewhere out of bed and with your family members looking at you with that puzzled look on their faces? And no, you’re not drunk. Or how about a time when you woke up and you can’t move a limb no matter how hard you tried? Those are actually sleeping disorders and some can be terrifying. Let me show you a list of some sleeping disorders that you should know about.

Sleepwalking (Somnambulism) - In reality, sleepwalking is not the same as what is portrayed in cartoons or TV shows (arms extended to the front, closed eyes, etc…). When a person sleepwalks, his/her eyes are open for navigation as though he or she were awake. However, they will rarely respond to questions when asked. Sleepwalkers pose a danger to themselves as well as others - especially when a weapon or dangerous object is around. There have been cases of murder where sleepwalking has been used for defense.

To properly deal with a sleepwalker, lead the person back to bed and watch if he or she will try to stand back up again. If the person does, the person may still be thinking that a certain task was left unfinished so it is a good thing to observe his or her actions then either help them with the task or convince them that it was already finished. Alternatively, you may try waking the person up and prepare to deal with a bad mood later (just kidding).

Sleep-talking (Somniloquy) - A lot of people talk in their sleep. Although it is very common in children, some people tend to carry the disorder until adulthood. It has also been reported to run in families. Unlike sleepwalking, the disorder is unlikely to cause accidents. It can wake up other people since it ranges from whispers to loud voices. One way to prevent it is to wear a mouth guard.

Sleep Paralysis - Have you ever experienced waking up only to find that you are unable to move a muscle? Then you hear whispers, voices, and other sounds that don’t seem to make sense? Well, I have. That is actually sleep paralysis. In earlier times, it was believed that a demon was visiting whenever it happened. What possibly causes it is the paralysis that usually occurs during Rapid-Eye-Movement sleep. The brain causes the body to become paralyzed during that particular stage of sleep to prevent possible injury while dreaming (which happens during REM). When the person suddenly awakens, the brain may still think otherwise and does not release the paralysis. This can also be accompanied by hallucinations wherein the person feels that someone is talking to them or is watching them in the area. The result of the combination could cause the person to think that he or she is being threatened or attacked and would panic.