3 Types of Parasomnia That Might Explain Your Weird Bedtime Behavior

Sleep. Precious, glorious sleep. It helps the body rest, rebuild, and rejuvenate for the next day’s work and play. Do you know that some people do weird things in their sleep? If you were to record your sleep each night, you would be amazed at the kind of things you do when sleeping. Some people talk, sleepwalk, have sleep paralysis, terrifying nightmares, and other abnormal movements when they are in dreamland. This is attributed to a type of parasomnia, which occurs when the transitional phase between staying awake and asleep is disrupted. Which type you suffer from depends on your symptoms.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has indicated that these sleep disorders are prevalent in children since their brain is under development. That notwithstanding, some adults also experience this condition. Below are some types of parasomnia and how to deal with them.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking or somnambulism is when you get up from bed and walk around while still in sleep mode. It happens after a partial awakening of the brain. That is, some part of the brain is awake, while other parts remain asleep. During this period, the higher-level functions of the brain remain asleep, so the sleepwalker just does basic things. Sleepwalking doesn’t need any special treatment, but in extreme cases, you can consult your doctor.

Confusional arousals

Also called sleep drunkenness, confusional arousal is when you wake up to a confused state of mind. You may be speaking or acting weirdly or feel disorganized. It happens when something interrupts when your sleep when in the first third of the night. It could be music, a notification on your phone, or some other loud noise. When you wake up in such a state, your brain functionality remains decreased. It normally takes about 30 minutes to return into full functionality, says the American Sleep Association.

Sleep talking

Also known as somniloquy, sleep talking involves talking while asleep. It can happen at any stage of your sleep. The talking could be conversational or a monologue. The cause of sleep talk is unknown. However, experts believe that the part of the brain that seizes us from talking when asleep is waked up. Cause of sleep talking includes stress, sleep deprivation, alcoholic lifestyle, and fever.