Parasomnias are unusual behaviours or strange experiences, which occur mainly or only when going to sleep, during sleep or when waking up. Parents are often very concerned about these events, however they do not mean that the child is psychologically disturbed or medically ill in any way. Very often these events will stop after some time and without any intervention but sometimes safety measures must be taken to protect the child. For example in sleep walking it is useful to ensure that the child does not injure themselves.
There are currently over 30 types of recognised Parasomnias in two main groups.
Primary Parasomnias can be grouped according to the time of night when they occur.
Secondary Parasomnias are the expression of underlying medical, behavioural or psychiatric conditions. Nocturnal epilepsy, nocturnal panic attacks
Parasomnias occur at all ages but are more common in children than in adults. Children may have more than one type of parasomnia as they may also have more than one type of sleep disorder. Sleep apnoea can be associated with sleep walking for example.
It is very important that the parasomnias are correctly identified as the treatment and interventions required are dependant on this. Accurate identification depends on a detailed account of the experiences both from a subjective and objective sequence of events, the timing of the event and the cicumstances in which the event occured. Audio visual recording, in the form of home video can be very helpful in this.
Specific medication is usually only required in a minority of primary parasomnias but may be required to treat the underlying problem in secondary parasomnias.
Research information on Parasomnias is quite limited at the moment.
If you need help with your child's sleep disturbance Contact Dream-Angus.com
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