Tag Archive for: sleep related eating disorder

5 Sleep Disorders You Probably Didn’t Know About

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We all have rough nights every once in a while, either because of our own sleeping habits, or because of our loveable sleep partner. By the time the sun comes around, we’re groggy and irritable, or hyper (just until we crash). These experiences are frustrating but normal. If they happen often or every night, though, they may be the indications of a sleep disorder.

There are a number of sleep disorders that aren’t commonly known to the general public and oftentimes go undiagnosed. Parasomnias, for example, encompass an entire group of sleep disorders that affect people’s ability to fall asleep, remain asleep, or wake up, and there are several parasomnias that are fairly unknown. Below are 5 Parasomnias you’ve probably never heard about.

1. Sleep-related eating disorder

This disorder doesn’t apply to people who sneak across the house toward the fridge at 3 a.m. – even if they do so often. A sleep-related eating disorder occurs during non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep and it affects people while they are still partially or fully asleep and cannot control their actions. During an episode, the disorder may cause the semi-conscious person to consume abnormal combinations of food in substantially large amounts. It is very difficult to wake a person who is experiencing a sleep-related eating disorder episode, and attempting to do so may even result in aggression or resistance. In the morning, the person may not remember the events of the night.

2. Sleep-sex (sexsomnia)

Unlike having sex dreams, which is fairly common, people who suffer from sleep-sex, or sexsomnia, may self-touch or try to be sexually intimate with others unknowingly. During these episodes, the person may be more aggressive, dominant, and uninhibited. Doctors aren’t sure what causes sexsomnia, but there are some factors they believe affect it, such as sleep deprivation, increased stress, and anxiety.

Common symptoms include:

  • Fondling or induced foreplay with partner
  • Pelvic thrusting
  • Masterbation
  • Behaviors that mimic sexual intercourse
  • Sexual intercourse
  • Spontaneous orgasm
  • Glassy, vacant eyes during episode
  • No memory of the event in the morning

3. Exploding Head Syndrome

Has anyone ever pranked you awake by making an obnoxiously loud, sudden noise over your head? Well, imagine waking up like that all the time. People who suffer from exploding head syndrome hear extremely loud noises when going to sleep or waking up. Some compare the sound to bomb explosions, gunshots, thunder, or fireworks. The episodes are relatively painless and short but they are nonetheless confusing and unnerving.

4. Catathrenia

Think of Catathrenia as a backward snore. Whereas snoring happens during inhalation, people who suffer from catathrenia, or nocturnal groaning, produce a loud groan during exhalation, usually followed by a snort or a sigh. These groans can last up to 30 seconds and can get very loud. Nocturnal groaning doesn’t happen with every exhalation and it usually comes and goes throughout the night in stretches of time, some as long as an hour. There are catathrenia treatments but generally, the disorder doesn’t affect the sleep of those who suffer from it and its cause is unknown.

5. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Most people know of REM sleep as the part of the night where you get deep rest, which is mostly true. REM, or rapid-eye-movement, is typical during REM sleep, as well as irregular breathing, higher blood pressure, and a loss of muscle tone (paralysis). During REM sleep, one’s brain is highly active and often dreams. People who suffer from REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, never fully undergo the muscle tone loss therefore as they may act out their dreams. Dream-enacting behaviors include talking, yelling, punching, kicking, sitting, jumping from bed, arm flailing, and grabbing.

People who suffer from these disorders remain unaware of their actions unless a bed partner or roommate mentions it. For the most part, these parasomnias are treatable and manageable, so it’s important that more people know how to recognize the symptoms, either in themselves or in another. Getting a good night’s rest is essential to living a healthy life, don’t let parasomnias get in the way of that. If you feel that you or someone you know may be suffering from a parasomnia, schedule an appointment to speak to one of our physicians.

Parasomnias 101: Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)

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You probably won’t find a person who’s never been caught eating late at night, especially if the fridge is full of scrumptious food and kind of beckons you to check it out. However, if you are regularly binge-eating at night and can’t fully control your nighttime routine, it’s time to seek professional help. Many people don’t know this, but the urge to binge-eat at night may signal a sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) that can be very dangerous for your overall health. Never heard of a sleep-related eating disorder? Don’t feel bad, most people haven’t. Here are the ins and outs:

What Is A Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)?

Sleep-related eating disorder is classified as parasomnia and is characterized by abnormal eating habits during the night time. Unlike nocturnal eating syndrome (NES), sleep-related eating disorder mostly affects people when they are partially or fully asleep and can’t control their actions.

During a sleep-related eating disorder attack, people can consume abnormal combinations of foods in substantially large amounts. On top of that, a person suffering from a sleep-related eating disorder will only partially remember that they were eating something at night.

Sometimes it may be challenging to wake up a person during an episode of SRED; instead, there’re high chances to arouse aggression and resistance.

Who Is At A Higher Risk For Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)?

While both males and females can suffer from SRED, women are often at higher risk, with 70% of all sufferers being female.

Additionally, people who suffer from any eating disorders like bulimia or purging disorder are just as exposed to the risk of getting a sleep-related eating disorder as other sleep disorder sufferers. For example, around half of SRED sufferers have had at least one other type of sleep disorder prior to obtaining a sleep-related eating disorder. Most often people who are exposed to sleepwalking, another type of parasomnias, have the highest chances to obtain SRED in the future.

Finally, some types of medications like hypnotic sleep medications, antidepressants, or antipsychotics may significantly increase the risk of developing a sleep-related eating disorder. 

Complications That May Arise From Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

If your sleep-related eating disorder occurs frequently enough, it can cause a number of unpleasant—and even dangerous—conditions. Some examples of the most common are:

  • Sleep-related injury
  • Stomach pain
  • Food poisoning
  • Weight gain
  • Increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes
  • Daytime tiredness from poor sleep

Symptoms Of Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

All sleep-related eating disorder attacks occur at earlier stages of your sleep cycle and can include:

  • Nighttime eating and drinking out of control
  • Partial or no memory of the episode the next day
  • Trouble being awakened during SRED episodes
  • Injuries during SRED episodes
  • Eating bizarre food combinations that a person’s body is not used to

How Are Sleep-Related Eating Disorders Treated?

After an initial interview with your doctor, who will ask detailed questions about your daily and nightly routine, you’ll probably be invited to stay one or more nights at a sleep center in order to monitor your brain activity at night. Once your brain activity is measured and analyzed, your sleep doctor will find an appropriate treatment aimed at addressing the factors that trigger your sleep-related eating disorder. For example, if you suffer from another food-related disorder, your treatment will include a therapy towards both disorders, which will help mitigate the effects of each.

Sleep Disorders 101: Parasomnias

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Parasomnias, just like most other sleep disorders, are always underrated. Ideally, if your sleep is normal and you don’t experience any sleep disorders, you should always wake up rested and full of energy. Yet, many of us complain about feeling sleepy every single day, blaming anything and everything – work, kids, those noisy neighbors, stress – but never consider that there could be a medical reason for our fatigue. The sad fact is that many of us have one type of parasomnia or another without even knowing it.

What Are Parasomnias?

The term “parasomnia” refers to an entire group of sleep disorders that cause numerous troubles while you are falling asleep, sleeping, or waking up. Parasomnias include irregular physical or verbal activities and can be disruptive to both the person experiencing parasomnias and the bed partner.

The most dangerous aspect is that you remain asleep during all activities and don’t recall anything disturbing in the morning. Most common parasomnias are sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sleep-related eating disorders, confusional arousals, nightmare disorders, sleep paralysis, bedwetting, sleep hallucinations and sleep talking.

When Do Parasomnias Occur?

Parasomnias can be experienced at all stages of sleep and have different symptoms depending on which sleep cycle they occur during. If they occur while you are falling asleep, you may experience hallucinations or sleep paralysis, where you still feel awake but can’t really move. Once you are already asleep, parasomnias often present as abnormal dream-enacting behaviors. When you are waking up, you might have hallucinations or sleep-related eating disorders.

What Causes Parasomnias?

There are a number of different risk factors that might contribute to parasomnia development. Some of the most common are the following:

  • Age: Age would certainly be an important factor since parasomnias like bedwetting and sleepwalking often occur during childhood.
  • Stress: Stress is also a heavy contributor to different types of parasomnias like sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep-related eating disorders, sleep paralysis and more. 
  • Genetics: Additionally, genetics can play a huge role. If your parents struggle with any types of parasomnia, you are most likely to have them as well.
  • Drug and alcohol abuse: It will not only ruin your liver but also cause a whole bouquet of new parasomnias and definitely worsen any existing ones.
  • Medicine: No matter how effective your medications are, some of them may have various types of parasomnias as a side effect.
  • PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is frequently associated with a type of parasomnias like nightmare disorder. Almost ⅘ of PTSD patients would experience nightmare disorder during at least 2-3 months after the trauma.

What Are The Types Of Parasomnias?

There are two main types of parasomnias, which are classified by sleep cycle they occur at: NREM and REM parasomnias. NREM parasomnias occur earlier at night, while REM parasomnias occur at later stages of the sleep cycle.

NREM parasomnias include, but are not limited to:

REM parasomnias include, but are not limited to:

  • Sleep paralysis
  • Breath-holding (catathrenia)
  • REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
  • Nightmare disorder

When Should I Visit The Doctor?

Although it’s not uncommon to experience some type of sleep disorder from time to time, especially during a time of extreme stress, some symptoms require immediate medical attention. Make sure you visit the doctor if your sleep behavior is negatively affecting you or others.

In addition, you can take a short Epworth Sleep Scale test to figure out if your sleepiness is beyond the normal range of healthy adults. And, of course, if you experience any abovementioned symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact our Florida Sleep Disorder Center. For over 30 years of practice, our team has helped thousands of patients with sleep disorders and will be happy to help you!