Parasomnia

1. a disorder characterized by abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep.

   “he’s being treated for parasomnia at a sleep disorder clinic”

There are a lot of different types of parasomnias. I will just describe the ones I have experienced.

The last three are sometimes associated with paranormal activity and have an interesting past. They are are also thought to be brought on by exhaustion, among other things. Since they are both caused by, and contribute to exhaustion, it can be a difficult cycle to break if you experience them.

• Restless leg syndrome
  A crawling sensation or ache in the legs and urge to move them often. Can be isolated or a symptom of another condition.
  Most nights I wake up multiple times because I’ve become tangled in my bedding (or lost it altogether). If anyone has been stuck on a long flight or drive when you’re legs are screaming to be stretched, that should give you a fair idea of what restless leg feels like.

• Hypopnea
  Episodes of unusually slow and/or shallow breathing. Often occurs as a symptom of sleep apnea or as a problem on its own. Because it doesn’t wake the sleeper a sleep study to detect it.
  I’m not really aware of of the hypopnea aside from waking and feeling like I’ve been holding my breath for a while. It does occasionally freak out my partner, who says my breathing is sometimes barely perceptible when I sleep.

• Snoring
  Snoring is caused by a partially blocked airway while sleeping. The snoring can be mild and occasional or chronic and unpleasantly loud. Snoring can be caused by smoking, drinking, allergies, sleeping on your back, medication, obesity, sleep apnea, among other things. Sleep apnea can be life threatening and should be treated by a medical professional.
  This is a seasonal issue and my partner’s least favourite. In my case, it is caused by a combination of deviated septum and allergies. Like the rest of my issues, it isn’t considered severe enough to warrant surgery so I would have to pay the full cost of surgery as a cosmetic procedure.

• Night sweats
  Periods of night time sweating that results in soaked pajamas and sheets and waking frequently due to feeling chilled or hot. This is most commonly caused by menopause, infection, or medication.

• Hypnagogic jerk (hypnic jerk, sleep start)
  A Hypnagogic jerk is jerking awake while falling asleep, often involves a feeling of falling. Jerking can affect either the full body or just part of the body.
  I don’t experience the falling sensation, it’s more like a huge, single, full-body shiver. These occur when I am over tired and trying to fall asleep.

• Nightmares
  No description needed here. I don’t think mine are any worse than anyone else’s in general, just that the other sleep issues make me more prone to waking during a nightmare and remembering it.

• Exploding head syndrome (Yes, that’s really a thing)
  Being woken by a loud noise in your head.
  Mine sounds like a door slamming in the next room, which can be rather disturbing when you’re alone in the house.

• Sleep paralysis
  Being unable to move or speak, generally occurs when falling asleep or just waking. Often is accompanied by night terrors. Rarely lasts longer than a few minutes. The hallucinations, when they occur, can involve seeing a shadow person, monster, alien, or witch, while you are sure you are awake.
  My experience is with a shadow person known as the “hat man”. I’ve recently discovered that many other people experience the same hallucination. 

• Night terrors
  Episodes of terror during sleep lasting a few seconds to minutes. Can involve screaming, thrashing about, and even sleep walking. People generally sleep through night terrors, unlike nightmares, which they can generally awaken from.

For more information about some of the paranormal associations see, Parasomnia/Paranormal

Part 1 – Chronic Insomnia
Part 2 – A Perfect Storm
Part 4 – Parasomnia/Paranormal