If you regularly wake up due to nightmares or uncomfortable physical sensations, you might have a parasomnia. Though irritating, it’s possible to reduce symptoms and improve your quality of sleep with diagnosis and treatment. At Sonoran Sleep Center, board-certified sleep medicine doctor Sarah Patel, MD, regularly works with people ages four and older to treat parasomnias. To make an appointment in Glendale, Arizona, call the office or book online today.
A parasomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by undesirable and/or unusual physical events and experiences that affect sleep quality. Parasomnias affect everyone differently and can occur before sleep, during sleep, or while waking up.
There are two types of parasomnias: parasomnias that occur during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and parasomnias that occur during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (Non-REM).
At Sonoran Sleep Center, Dr. Patel treats various parasomnias that occur during non-REM sleep, including:
Parasomnias that occur during non-REM sleep typically affect people between the ages of 5-25.
At Sonoran Sleep Center, Dr. Patel treats various parasomnias that occur during REM sleep, including:
Anyone can experience parasomnias during REM sleep, but they’re especially common in men aged 50 and older.
To diagnose a parasomnia, Dr. Patel asks about your symptoms and lifestyle, including when they first started and if you drink alcohol or take any prescription medication. Next, she orders blood work and asks you to keep a sleep journal for several weeks.
If these steps don’t provide insight into your condition, Dr. Patel might recommend an overnight sleep study. Sonoran Sleep Center has several overnight sleep suites on-site, designed to look more like hotel rooms than medical offices.
During a sleep study, Dr. Patel monitors your heart rhythm and respiratory rate as well as your eye movements, muscle movements, and brain activity. She uses this information to make a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
At Sonoran Sleep Center, Dr. Patel usually treats parasomnias with healthy lifestyle changes. Depending on your symptoms, she might recommend:
If your symptoms don’t improve or worsen, Dr. Patel might recommend prescription medication.
To learn more about parasomnias, make an appointment at Sonoran Sleep Center. Call the office or book online today.
