We all have bad dreams from time to time. There is nothing wrong about that. However, when these occasional dreams transform into regular nightmares and you wake up in the middle of the night screaming for help, then there is a big problem that needs to be solved. This is a serious condition well known among doctors under the name of parasomnia.

What Actually is Parasomnia?

The term “parasomnia” refers to sleep-related disorders that occur while sleeping, such as nightmares, sleep walking, sleep aggression, sleep paralysis, REM sleep or sleepsex. Parasomnia is quite common nowadays, with more and more people experiencing the disturbing effects of this condition. Whether they are related to past traumas or have no logical cause, night terrors can wreak havoc in your life and can literally ruin your mornings. To learn more about parasomnia, access the following link: http://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-and-parasomnias

Some people believe that parasomnia is related to spiritual, even supernatural causes. This supposition might not be too far away from the reality. However, the good news is that you can actually control your nightmares and fight parasomnia. According to recent research, daytime emotions and nighttime terrors are strongly connected. This means you can end this nightmare today by using certain tips and techniques.

How to Fight Parasomnia – Concrete Steps

– Clinic help: one of the best ways to put an end to the terrors of the night is to seek specialized help. You can talk to a doctor and acknowledge your fears and symptoms in order to find a solution. The doctor can book you in for a sleep study. Once in the location, you enjoy 24/7 supervision and you are safe from parasomnia. In case those terrors of the night choose to pay you a visit, you can press a button and a nurse will come at your bed ASAP. Your sleep is monitored and the staff will be able to know if something bad has happened even before you realize it.

After a few weeks, you can view your sleep patterns as a graph. This helps you acknowledge your situation and prepares you for the fight that lies ahead of you.

– Drug treatment: another great way to fight parasomnia is to take trimiperamene and clonazepam. While the former is a powerful antidepressant that is used by worldwide doctors to sedate people who suffer from major psychotic disorders, the latter is a strong muscle relaxant medicine used in cases of panic attacks and epilepsy. Taking these pills just before sleeping can have a great positive impact on your sleep. Most of the people who have taken these drugs declared that they enjoyed sound sleep for months.

This drug treatment should only be taken under strict surveillance by a doctor. Every six months, your medication will be reviewed and the dose will be potentially cut if your condition has improved meanwhile.

– Put your worries to rest: try to clear your head of the daily hassles and to think clear just before you go to bed. Daily worries influence our sleep. People who tend to worry a lot usually sleep much worse than those who have either managed to control their emotions or have no worries in their lives.

– Control your dreams: another great method to overcome parasomnia and put an end to bad dreams is to learn how to control your dreams. As you fall asleep, remind yourself that you want your dreams to be about “Y”, Y being something positive. Try to visualize a safe place, such as a resort near the sea or a hotel room in the middle of the city.

– Call the National Nightmare Hotline: if nothing else works, you can always call the Nightmare Response Line – 1-866-376-7911. Skilled staff are always ready to listen to your nightmares and help you get over them. However, this team does not provide therapy or interpret dreams.

– Don’t catastrophize your nightmares: sometimes you might experience disturbing dreams and nightmares. If this happens, try to stay positive and to be realistic. Most of the things you dream of will never happen in real life. The reality is always much more positive than these nightmares.

The Bottom Line

Dreams do not have to affect you and ruin your life. You can now fight back and take control of your dreams. End the nightmare now by fighting and conquering parasomnia.

Exploding Head Syndrome

Exploding head syndrome is a rare kind of sleep disorder, categorized under parasomnias. Parasomnias can be termed as eccentric occurrences at some point during sleep, while falling asleep or when waking up. The condition was first documented in 1920 by Armstrong Jones, a scientist who described it as “snapping of the brain”.

Individuals who are above the age of 50 years are the most vulnerable although it can happen in childhood. Below is a comprehensive look at the disease in the quest to understand it better;

Exploding Head Syndrome Symptoms

1. Individuals experiencing this condition describe hearing a sudden and loud sound in the head. Often, it sounds like;

· The sound of a gunshot

· A deafening clash of cymbals

· The sound of a slamming door

· Shouts and screams from people

· An electric buzzing sound

· A tremendously loud rushing sound

· Loud sounds which cannot be described precisely

2. While exploding syndrome is not painful, some individuals describe it as painful at the onset. Most are scared or upset when it wakes them up from sleep.

3. Individuals may experience sensations of flashing light

4. Brief occurrences sleep paralysis accompanied by an out-of-day experience

5. Difficulty in breathing which only lasts for a short period of time

These episodes last for a few seconds, or a few minutes and do not occur during the main stages of sleep; only when falling asleep or waking up.

Causes and Risk Factors

The main reason why exploding head syndrome occurs the way it does is yet to be explained. As perplexing as it is, some psychologist and physicians have sighted the following reasons outlined below as the probable causes

· Trifling seizures in the temporal lobe

· Spontaneous movements of the parts of the ear including the ear drum or the tensor tympani which is the muscle responsible for reducing sound, like the sound of chewing food for instance.

· Damage to the brain cells

· Muscle jerks, referred to as sleep starts, nocturnal myoclonus or hypnic jerk

· Anxiety, fatigue and stress

· Sharp stabbing pain, although it’s very rare

· Age factor

Diagnosis

If you’re diagnosed with the exploding head syndrome, a physician or psychologist will carry out the following procedures on you;

· Assess your medical history to ascertain when and how often it happens. Mostly, bed partners are called upon to provide the necessary information.

· Physical examination aimed at establishing if you have any physical disorders which may cause the condition.

· Overnight polysomnography PSG which is basically an exam to test the sleep so as to ultimately study your sleeping behavior.

· Electroencephalograms, EEG, a process which involves recording of the attacks and analyzing any activities that are deemed to be abnormal.

· Urine Drug Screening Examination so as to rule out any possibility drug abuse.

Treatment

Treatment for exploding head syndrome involves;

A Visit to the Doctor – By paying a visit to the doctor, individuals can be sure of proper advice and correct diagnosis. It’s important to mention that it’s only a qualified doctor who is allowed to diagnose such conditions.

Controlling Stress – One of the causes of exploding head syndrome is stress. It therefore goes without saying that if patients embark on a stress relief therapy they will be going a long way in improving the condition.

Keep a Sleep Journal – Recording how often the experiences occur comes in handy when trying to track the syndrome.

Avoid Periods of Fatigue – Research shows that parasomnias are likely to occur when an individual is exhausted. Fatigue can be avoided by getting enough sleep during the day or sleeping for the recommended 8 hours everyday.

Medications – If the above mentioned treatments don’t work, you can request the physician to prescribe a medication for you. Medications prescribed include depressants such as Clomipramine.

Exercise Patience – Exploding head syndrome resolves with time and sometimes all you have to do is be patient and wait for the condition to recede.

Related Conditions

Other conditions related to the exploding head syndrome include;

Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis – Individuals suffering from this condition are aware of the surroundings but cannot move their bodies. It occurs as you begin to sleep or wake up.

Kleine-Levine Syndrome – Unlike exploding head syndrome, Kleine-Levine syndrome is characterized by excessive sleepiness and mood swings which can last from hours to weeks

Free Running Syndrome – This is typified by irregular sleep cycles that changes later each day and is one of the hardest sleep disorders to correct.

Fatal Famillial Insomnia – This is a rare condition that affects the brain and may lead to losing the ability to sleep at and subsequently death.

Sleep may come across as an unproductive activity but in the reality it is paramount in maintaining and enduring human health. Don’t hesitate to seek medical attention should you be affected by any of the above sleep disorders.

Fatal Familial Insomnia

Fatal Familial Insomnia is one of the most interesting diseases known to mankind. It is a state of sleeplessness that begins during middle age; once your child-bearing years are over. FFI is very rare, affecting less than 40 families world-wide at time of posting. This ticking time bomb is caused by a rare genetic mutation whose nature links this it to the likes of Kuru, Mad Cow Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Fatal Familial Insomnia is known as a Prion disease (as are those mentioned above). A Prion is a name given to an infectious agent and in the case of FFI it is caused by a mis-folded protein that permanently affects the structure of the brain.

The prions eat away at the Thalamus region, which is the part of the brain responsible for the regulation of sleep as well as other sensory and motor functions. Due to the disease not presenting until middle age, the disease has been unknowingly passed down through whole familes. You can read about the fascinating case of one poor family in the book The Family That Couldn’t Sleep.

The documenary Dying To Sleep can be seen here:

There is now a genetic test, but unforunately no known cure as yet.

This deadly brain disease manifests itself in four stages :

1) The inexplicable and sudden onset of insomnia can cause unfounded phobias and panic attacks. This stages last for about 4 months.

2) When sleep deprivation takes hold, the hallucinations and panic attacks may become severe. This stage lasts for about 5 months.

3) Insomnia starts causing weight loss, and restricts proper mental functioning. The duration of this stage is about 3 months.

4) Finally, the person suffers unresponsiveness and dementia. This stages lasts for about 6 months.

Eventually, the person suffering from fatal insomnia falls into a state of coma, and dies. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this disease perhaps, is that the person has a clear understanding of the condition, while experiencing the physical agony induced by total sleeplessness.

Treat Sleep Apnea The Natural Way

What is it? What can be done about obstructive sleep apnea in adults and children? Can you die from it? Sleep Apnea is a chronic medical condition where the affected individual stops breathing several times during sleep causing the oxygen levels in the blood to drop.

Some of its symptoms include;

• Waking up with a dry/sore throat,
• Snoring,
• Restless sleep,
• Drowsiness and lack of energy during the day,
• Choking or gasping for air during the night.
• Feeling of gagging while sleeping
• Morning headache
• Memory loss
• Low mood/depression
• Impotence and lack of sex drive

Sleep apnea is a highly distressing disorder for the sufferer and people living alongside them. To be diagnosed the sufferer must have these pauses in breathing at least 5 times in one hour for 10 seconds or more.

Can you die from it? 

In a study of patients who died suddenly who had had recent sleep studies performed, it was shown that almost half of the patients with sleep apnea died between the hours of midnight to 6 a.m., compared with 21% without sleep apnea. It is possible that these individuals died suddenly during periods of apnea. Recent studies show sleep apnea may increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. You can read about one such study here, However, these people may have had other medical complications.

Sleep apnea treatments and solutions

• Nasal decongestants

It can be a nasal dilator, breathing strip, saline spray or a neti pot all of these can be used to keep your nasal passages open. Nasal decongestants are only effective in mild sleep apnea and snoring.

• Positive Airway Pressure Items (Devices)

They are used with a number of breathing mask. The mask should securely fit over your nose or over both your mouth and nose. It should be a bit tight so as not to move out of place when you turn in bed because then it won’t work. It supplies pressurized air-flow
continuously into the throat of the wearer enabling more air to get into the airway. This ensures the airway does not collapse causing you to wake up to catch a breath. It can be used for both mild and severe apnea. The flexible air tubes from the machines allow the pressurized air to be supplied. Among the commonly known machines is the continuous positive airway (CPAP), variable positive air-way pressure (VPAP) and bi-level positive airway (BiPAP). Studies on the effect of these airway devices indicate that they are very effective on OSA patients that use them regularly.

• Positional therapy

Certain people experience sleep apnea when they sleep in certain positions especially sleeping on the back. These people are advised to try different sleeping positions and see which one allows them to breathe properly when sleeping. It only works for those with mild
sleep apnea those with a severe condition it doesn’t change a thing irrespective of what position you sleep in.

• Mouth guards

They are specifically designed to allow more air into the airways. They are worn on the mouth while sleeping they work by pulling the lower jaw a bit forward from its normal position. This slight change is responsible for letting more air to your passages thus letting you breath properly.

• Surgery for children

Research shows most children with sleep apnea have bigger tonsils and adenoids or both. Surgical procedure that removes these two has shown 75% of children with the condition cured. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends this as the best first cause of action when kids exhibit sleep apnea condition.

• Surgery for adults

Unfortunately this is not as straight forward as in chidren.It is effective for treating snoring but not as effective in treating OSA. The challenge faced by surgeons is they cannot pinpoint exactly where the problem is in the numerous sites of the airway. Since the part obstructing the airways cannot be identified by conventional sleep testing surgery may not stop the condition. Given the several places in the airway that obstruction could occur various types of operations have been invented to try to eliminate sleep apnea. One of
these is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, or UPPP Nasal surgery it has a success rate of over 50% which makes it worth trying. Some surgeons have also reported success by trying multiple stages surgery this where they deal with every part of the airway that may have
obstructions. They advise it is important once you’ve had the surgery to come for routine assessment so that your progress can be accessed. Your physician and surgeon will advise you on what is the best surgery to have it can be one of these; tracheostomy, lower jaw advancement, tongue base reduction, tongue advancement, hyoid advancement or soft palate implants.

Lifestyle changes that may help with sleep apnea treatment and solution.

1. Quit smoking

Smoking is thought to enhance the condition by increasing inflammation and fluid rentation in your upper airway and throat.

2. Abstain from alcohol, sleeping pills and sedatives

They are believed to relax throat muscles thus interfering with the breathing process especially when taken before bed.

3. Keep regular sleeping hours

Maintaining regular sleep helps you relax and sleep better thus decreasing episodes of sleep apnea.

4. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals

This two prevent you from sleeping on time and do not allow you to have a good night sleep since your body is forced to work overtime.

5. Lose some weight if you are obese /overweight. This cannot be overstated enough!

It is believed these people have extra tissue at the back of their throat that blocks the airway and block flow of air in the lungs while you sleep. Reducing a bit of weight may reduce episodes of sleep apnea and losing all the excess weight may totally cure sleep apnea.

Ignoring sleep apnea is dangerous since it can result to even greater health risks among them; it increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes, it makes arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats common, it can lead to an accident while driving or operating machinery since your concentration is low. Seek a physician help if you exhibit any symptoms to get sleep apnea treatment and solutions.

Are there alternatives to the CPAP?

Yes!

Acupuncture: 

Some studies suggest acupunctures anti-inflammatory and serotonergic ( enhances the effects of serotonin in the central nervous system) may help, but it should be approached as a complimentary treatment in anything but mild cases, rather than a stand-alone treatment.

Dental Appliance

A Mandibular Repositioning Appliance looks like a mouth-guard and can be used as an alternative to surgery. They move the tongue or lower jaw forward opening the airway. This is not suitable for severe cases but makes a good natural alternative to surgery for those with mild to moderate Apnea.

Provent

One of the newest and most promising option available. The nasal EPAP (expiratory positive airway pressure) device does away with the bulky CPAP . The Provent is a small patch with 2 plugs that fit into the nostrils. A valve opens when you inhale, but closes on exhalation so that air is forced out of a small channel; this causes slight back pressure which keeps the airway open. The Provent is for mild to severe cases and is proving very successful. They cost approx $2 per night. You can find them here Provent. Unfortunately they are not yet available in the UK

Night terrors are a very upsetting sleep disorder which can affect just about anyone of any age; they are however most common in children between the ages of 3 and 12 and also in young adults between the ages of 20 and 30.

 Night terrors are not the same as an ordinary nightmare but are much more severe in their presentation. Most of us have either experienced an ordinary nightmare or comforted a child as they wake up from a distressing dream but a night terror is far more dramatic and upsetting and presents itself as such. Those who experience them often have no memory of them the next day but during a night terror they can be found to be screaming hysterically and sometimes physically fighting those who try to calm them.

During a night terror, the person suffering will appear to be awake but be unable to focus normally; they do not appear to see the person trying to help them and have a “glazed” expression. This can of course be very distressing to witness and parents in particular feel helpless and upset that they cannot assist their child. It should be remembered however that night terrors are not uncommon and they do not show symptoms of any underlying mental disorder or disease. If your child or indeed you, are suffering from night terrors, read on to learn more about this common condition.

Why do night terrors happen?

During sleep, people go through various stages of slumber; the deepest stage is the one in which night terrors occur. As we sleep, our brains pass through a number of phases of activity. When we are dreaming we’re in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and then after this stage, we pass into another, deeper stage where we are still and quiet. Once this stage passes, we move again into a lighter form of REM and it is this transition which is to blame for night terrors.

This period where we are most at risk of night terrors usually happens around three hours after we have fallen asleep. Children and young people can sometimes have difficulty with the transition and as a result become terrified and distressed for no apparent reason. Often parents report their child suddenly sitting up, crying, shaking and screaming; they may gasp for breath or have a rapid heartbeat and some appear to swipe at nothing as though they are being attacked. Talking, hugging and waking don’t seem to work and the child often continues to show distress for some time until suddenly, the symptoms disappear and the child sleeps peacefully once more.

Should I worry about night terrors?

No…night terrors are very normal and they don’t last for long….the main point to remember if you or your child is suffering from night terrors is that while they are distressing to watch, they don’t indicate any problems and children will not remember them the next day. To calm your child, talk to them gently and stay near them; most will simply lie back down and sleep peacefully after a few minutes of distress.

Kleine Levin Syndrome

Teenage boys are renowned for having their ups and downs; they’re often to be found suffering from mood swings and a variety of the unsettling symptoms of puberty which can make them difficult to live with; but not all teenage boys are simply going through issues brought about by their age…some may be suffering from Kleine Levin Syndrome.

Kleine Levin Syndrome is a rare disorder which affects mainly male teens; the main symptoms consist of an insatiable appetite for sleep known as hyper-somnolence and also behavioural difficulties and cognitive disturbances. Some boys are also found to suffer from hyper-sexuality in addition to the other more common symptoms.

Kleine Levin Syndrome tends to make its appearance sporadically….one day the teenager is fine and then the next they’re in the throes of an “attack” which can go on for anything from a week to two months. There has been plenty of research into the condition but experts cannot as yet agree on a cause for the upsetting problems which ensue for those who suffer from Kleine Levin Syndrome.

How does Kleine Levin Syndrome affect people?

Current research indicates that the syndrome makes its appearance most commonly during the winter months with December being the riskiest month. Often, boys will experience a brief illness before it happens…an infection or general run-down feeling is usually reported. After this, sufferers feel a strong urge to spend most of their time in bed and wake only to eat or visit the bathroom.

When challenged or encouraged to get dressed and participate in life, sufferers can become aggressive and upset. Another and more upsetting symptom is one which affects the speech of the boys; many become monosyllabic or speak in short and disjointed sentences while others seem to regress in their speech and become like much younger children in their patterns of communication or begin to slur.

Once the episode is over, sufferers often have no memory of the events preceding the attack and no memory of anything which occurred during it.

Some other upsetting symptoms can occur during an attack of Kleine Levin Syndrome and these include overeating as well as using obscene language and displaying inappropriate sexual behaviour. Although females do sometimes suffer from the syndrome, they are not often diagnosed with it and they do not usually display the same symptoms as males…most especially the sexual behaviour.

Diagnosing Kleine Levin Syndrome

It is very difficult to diagnose Kleine Levin Syndrome because the symptoms can mimic depression and many people assume that their children are “low” or going through a typical teenage phase. Unless the more severe symptoms are displayed, it can be missed and sufferers will usually come out of the attack with no damage done to themselves. It is however important to get a diagnosis as medical intervention can certainly alleviate the symptoms which can have a severe effect on family life and sometimes mood stabilising drugs will be prescribed.

Kleine Levin Syndrome is not a disorder which will continue to affect sufferers and after it has run its course, it will disappear never to return again. Research into the disorder is ongoing and because of its rarity, professionals will usually be very interested in any cases which do crop up.

The short space of time before we fall asleep is a strange one; it’s the time when we’re not quite in the world of the waking and not quite in the world of slumber…it’s the twilight zone if you like…that short window when nothing is quite concrete. Technically, this period of time is called “the hypnagogic state” and for those of us who experience the strange and confusing state, it can be extremely unsettling.

Some people report seeing realistic visions of people, disembodied faces, strange lights and geometric forms as well as hearing voices, music or even technological sounding “beeps” and tones. Others might seem to experience strange insights or upsetting emotions as well as feeling as though they are being hunted or pursued.

For those people who do suffer from this uncommon condition, it can be very distressing and some people dread falling asleep because their visions are so startling. While research into Hypnagogia is ongoing, scientists believe that experiencing it is just the mind’s way of getting rid of the day’s thoughts and feelings and that some patterns of behaviours can exacerbate it.

Drinking alcohol or taking drugs can make the condition much worse as can lack of sleep or general stress. Some sufferers report a lessening of symptoms once they learn what the condition is called and discover that far from being a paranormal event, it’s simply a neurological reaction to a variety of stimuli.

If you have ever woken up in a confused and frightened state due to thinking you can see, hear, sense or feel things which patently cannot be there, it is worth looking at Hypnagogia as the cause. Suffering from Hypnagogia interrupts sleep patterns and can result in extreme exhaustion as people try to avoid sleep or to help themselves sleep through alcohol and other means which ultimately worsen the condition.

Ways to lessen the symptoms of Hypnagogia

Firstly, stop drinking alcohol because drink can make the symptoms much worse as well as bring them on in the first place! Secondly, try to get a good sleep routine which does not vary from day to day. Choose a suitable time to go to bed and do not deviate from it. If you are suffering from stress in your day to day life, don’t underestimate how much this can worsen the symptoms of Hypnagogia and think about taking some regular exercise which is a proven way to help yourself de-stress and learn to relax.

Finally, keep your bedroom tidy and clutter free; avoid the mess and confusion which can add to the issues of seeing things which aren’t really there! A tidy room which is well organised is a good environment for sleeping in…a cluttered and untidy one is not!

If your symptoms do not ease with the above actions, see your doctor. It may be that you would be best advised to visit a sleep clinic where you can be observed sleeping and specialists can then advise you on the best course of action.