Confusional arousals
Confusional arousals usually
occur when a person is awakened from a deep sleep during the first
part of the night. This disorder, which also is known as excessive
sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness, involves an exaggerated
slowness upon awakening. People experiencing confusional arousals
react slowly to commands and might have trouble understanding
questions they are asked. In addition, people with confusional
arousal often have problems with short-term memory.
Rhythmic movement disorders
These disorders, which
often occur just before a person falls asleep, occur mostly in
children who are 1 year old or younger. A child might lie flat,
lift the head or upper body, then forcefully hit his or her head on
the pillow. Rhythmic movement disorder, which also has been called
"head banging," also can involve movements such as rocking on hands
and knees.
Sleep talking
Sleep talking is a sleep-wake
transition disorder. Although it usually is harmless, sleep talking
can be disturbing to sleep partners or family members who witness
it. Talk that occurs during sleep can be brief and involve simple
sounds, or it can involve long speeches by the sleeper. A person
who talks during sleep typically has no recollection of the
actions. Sleep talking can be caused by external factors including
fever, emotional stress, or other sleep disorders.
Nocturnal leg cramps
Nocturnal leg cramps are
sudden, involuntary contractions of the calf muscles during the
night or periods of rest. The cramping sensation might last from a
few seconds to 10 minutes, but the pain from the cramps might
linger for a longer period. Nocturnal leg cramps tend to be found
in middle-aged or older populations, but people of any age can have
nocturnal leg cramps. Nocturnal leg cramps differ from restless
legs syndrome as the latter usually does not usually involve
cramping or pain. The cause of nocturnal leg cramps is not known.
Some cases of the disorder can occur without a triggering event,
while other causes of leg cramps might be linked to prolonged
sitting, dehydration, an overexertion of the muscles, or structural
disorders (such as flat feet). Muscle-stretching, proper exercise,
and adequate water intake might help prevent leg cramps.
Sleep paralysis
People with sleep paralysis are not
able to move their bodies or limbs when falling asleep or waking
up. Brief episodes of partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis
can occur during sleep paralysis. Sometimes sleep paralysis runs in
families, but the cause of sleep paralysis is not known. This
disorder is not harmful, but people experiencing sleep paralysis
often are fearful because they do not know what is happening. An
episode of sleep paralysis often is terminated by sound or touch.
Within minutes, the person with sleep paralysis is able to move
again.