Parasomnia

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**Parasomnia**
*Classification & external resources*
ICD-10	F 51.3-F 51.4
ICD-9	307.47, 780.59
eMedicine	med/3131
MeSH	D020447

A parasomnia is any sleep disorder such as sleepwalking, sleepeating, sleep sex, teeth grinding, night terrors, rhythmic movement disorder, REM behaviour disorder, restless legs syndrome, and somniloquy, characterized by partial arousals during sleep or during transitions between wakefulness and sleep. Parasomnias are often associated with stress and depression, and biological factors may also be involved. Many parasomnias are more common in children than in adults.

Unlike dyssomnias, parasomnias do not involve abnormalities of the mechanisms generating sleep-wake states, nor of the timing of sleep and wakefulness. Rather, parasomnias represent the activation of physiological systems at inappropriate times during the sleep-wake cycle. In particular, these disorders involve activation of the autonomic nervous system, motor system, or cognitive processes during sleep or sleep-wake transitions.

Parasomnias occur during deep sleep (stages III and IV). On an electroencephalogram (EEG), this corresponds to slow wave sleep.

Many parasomnias, such as sleepwalking, have serious risks. For example, a person with REM behavior disorder, while trying to swing a tennis racket in a dream, can potentially injure their bedmate. People with night terrors can prevent others from sleeping well, as well as waking themselves up. For these reasons, parasomniacs sometimes need medical treatment.

Sleepwalking has been successfully used as a legal defense against charges of murder and arson. The first to do so was Albert Tirrell.

[edit] See also

[edit] Further Reading

Siegel, Ronald (1992). Fire in the Brain: Clinical Tales of Hallucination.
Warren, Jeff (2007). The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness. ISBN 978-0679314080.

[edit] External links

v • d • e Articles on sleep
Sleep stages	Rapid eye movement sleep · Non-rapid eye movement sleep · Slow-wave sleep · Beta wave sleep · Delta wave sleep · Gamma wave sleep · Theta wave sleep
Sleep disorders	Advanced sleep phase syndrome · Automatic behavior · Circadian rhythm sleep disorder · Delayed sleep phase syndrome · Dyssomnia · Hypersomnia · Insomnia · Narcolepsy · Night terror · Nocturia · Nocturnal myoclonus · Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome · Ondine's curse · Parasomnia · Sleep apnea · Sleep deprivation · Sleepeating · Sleeping sickness · Sleeptalking · Sleepwalking
Benign phenomena	Dream · Nightmare · Exploding head syndrome · Lucid dream · False awakening · Sleep paralysis · Hypnagogia · Hypnic jerk · Nocturnal emission · Somnolence
Bedding	Pillow · Sheet · Duvet · Blanket · Quilt · Sleeping bag
Nightwear	Babydoll · Blanket sleeper · Chemise · Negligee · Nightgown · Nightshirt · Nightcap · Peignoir · Pajamas · Slip nightgown
Other Sleep-related Topics	Bed (Bunk bed, Four poster bed, Futon, Hammock, Mattress) · Bed bug · Bedroom · Bedtime · Bedtime story · Chronotype · Dream worlds · Jet lag · Lullaby · Polyphasic sleep · Power nap · Siesta · Sleep and learning · Sleep debt · Sleepover · Snoring

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v • d • e WHO ICD-10 mental and behavioural disorders (F · 290–319)
Neurological/symptomatic	Dementia (Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, Pick's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, AIDS dementia complex, Frontotemporal dementia) · Delirium · Post-concussion syndrome
Psychoactive substance	alcohol (drunkenness, alcohol dependence, delirium tremens, Korsakoff's syndrome, alcohol abuse) · opiods (opioid dependency) · sedative/hypnotic (benzodiazepine withdrawal) · cocaine (cocaine dependence) · general (Intoxication, Drug abuse, Physical dependence, Withdrawal)
Psychotic disorder	Schizophrenia (disorganized schizophrenia) · Schizotypal personality disorder · Delusional disorder · Folie à deux · Schizoaffective disorder
Mood (affective)	Mania · Bipolar disorder · Clinical depression · Cyclothymia · Dysthymia
Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform	Anxiety disorder (Agoraphobia, Panic disorder, Panic attack, Generalized anxiety disorder, Social anxiety) · OCD · Acute stress reaction · PTSD · Adjustment disorder · Conversion disorder (Ganser syndrome) · Somatoform disorder (Somatization disorder, Body dysmorphic disorder, Hypochondriasis, Nosophobia, Da Costa's syndrome, Psychalgia) · Neurasthenia
Physiological/physical behavioural	Eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa) · Sleep disorder (dyssomnia, insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnia, night terror, nightmare) · Sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, vaginismus, dyspareunia, hypersexuality) · Postpartum depression
Adult personality and behaviour	Personality disorder · Passive-aggressive behavior · Kleptomania · Trichotillomania · Voyeurism · Factitious disorder · Munchausen syndrome · Ego-dystonic sexual orientation
Mental retardation	Mental retardation
Psychological development (developmental disorder)	Specific: speech and language (expressive language disorder, aphasia, expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, Landau-Kleffner syndrome, lisp) · Scholastic skills (dyslexia, dysgraphia, Gerstmann syndrome) · Motor function (developmental dyspraxia) Pervasive: Autism · Rett syndrome · Asperger syndrome
Behavioural and emotional, childhood and adolescence onset	ADHD · Conduct disorder · Oppositional defiant disorder · Separation anxiety disorder · Selective mutism · Reactive attachment disorder · Tic disorder · Tourette syndrome · Speech (stuttering · cluttering)