Parasomnias are sleep disorders which include disorders of partial arousal, arousal, and sleep stage transition. Some of the disorders included within these greater categories may include sleepwalking, night terrors, talking in one's sleep, nocturnal leg cramps and more.

Symptoms of Parasomnias

The symptoms of parasomnias vary from one disorder to the other. For example, night terrors consist of a fearful waking with rapid heartbeat and sometimes screaming whereas sleepwalking symptoms consist of basically wandering around while in a deep sleep. The main thing that all of these parasomnias disorders have in common is the fact that the individual is asleep during the episodes.

Causes of Parasomnias

As with symptoms, the causes also vary from condition to condition. Some are due to external reasons such as stress or anxiety while other parasomnias are genetic in nature. In order to properly treat a parasomnia, if treatment is available, one must view treatment based upon the actual parasomnias condition which is present.

Treatment for Parasomnias

Parasomnias, in general, are of a nature whereby they will go away as fast as they arrived. For this reason, treatment is usually quite conservative with regard to medications and the like. Shaping one's sleeping habits is the most frequently cited form of treatment for parasomnias whereas intervention in the form of medications is used less often.

Parasomnias are sleeping disorders which affect both young and older individuals as well, although children are most often afflicted with parasomnias. It is important to keep in mind that parasomnias do not usually last that long and their presence is brief.