REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Medical Author:
ABM Salah Uddin, MD
Medical Editor:
Erasmo A Passaro, MD
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Stephen Berman, MD, PhD
REM Sleep Disorder OverviewNormal sleep has2 distinct states: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM sleep is divided into4 stages. During REM sleep,rapid eye movements occur,breathing becomes irregular, blood pressure rises, and there is loss of muscle tone (paralysis).However, the brain is highly active, and the electrical activity recorded in the brain by EEG during REM sleep is similar to that recorded during wakefulness.REM sleep is usually associated with dreaming.REM sleep accounts for 20-25% of the sleep period. In a person with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), the paralysis that normally occurs during REM sleep is incomplete or absent, allowing the person to "act out" his or her dreams. RBD is characterized by the acting out ofdreams that are vivid, intense,and violent. Dream-enacting behaviors include talking, yelling, punching, kicking, sitting, jumping from bed, arm flailing, and grabbing. An acute form may occur during withdrawal from alcohol or sedative-hypnotic drugs. RBD is usually seen in middle-aged to elderlypeople (more often in men).Viewer Comments & ReviewsREM Sleep Behavior Disorder - CausesThe eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:What was the cause of your REM Sleep Behavior Disorder? |
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REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Disorders That Disrupt Sleep (Parasomnias) »
Disorders That Disrupt Sleep (Parasomnias) Overview
Parasomnias are disruptive sleep-related disorders. They are characterized by undesirable physical or verbal behaviors or experiences. Parasomnias occur in association with sleep, specific stages of sleep (see Sleep: Understanding the Basics), or sleep-awake transition phases.
Parasomnias may be divided into the following categories:
- Primary parasomnias are the disorders of sleep states. They are further classified according to the stage of sleep in which they originate: rapid eye movement (REM) (a stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly and dreaming occurs) or non-rapid eye movement (NREM) (stage of sleep in which eye movement does not take place. For details of stages of sleep, see Sleep: Understanding the Basics).
- Secondary parasomnias are disorders of other organ systems that may manifest during sleep, for example, seizures (convulsions...
Read the Disorders That Disrupt Sleep (Parasomnias) article »
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder »
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a newly described disorder, recognized as a distinct clinical entity following a series of reports in 1986 of adults with RBD.
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