Thomas Heric served as Medical Director for South Bay Diagnostic Medical Group and New Century Sleeping Disorder Laboratory. He is a Member of the British Sleep Society (BSS) and The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
A person who suffers from RBD physically or verbally acts out their dream. Many times injury can result from the actions of a person suffering with this condition so proper diagnosis and treatment is imperative.
Sleep, as we know it, involves three important transitional states.
In an RBD patient, the brain is not successfully separating these stages of sleep. This causes the actions of wakefulness to cross over into the REM and N-REM stages. A person without RBD would remain still while sleeping, but patients with RBD move around and sometimes even become violent.
Patients have been known to shout, grab, kick and punch during sleep which can cause injury to themselves or their sleep partner. They may even suddenly leap or jump out of bed which can also cause injuries. RBD can sometimes be linked to other medical problems, you need to have a medical exam from a neurologist to properly diagnose the disorder.
A sleep study is often used in diagnosis of RBD. It records arm and leg movements, brain waves, breathing patterns and heartbeat during sleep. Videos of your sleep study will record whether or not you actually get out of bed. As Thomas Heric knows, very successful treatment for RBD is available and brings relief to patients suffering from this disorder.
Sources:
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/rem-behavior-disorder/treatment
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| Thomas Heric |
A person who suffers from RBD physically or verbally acts out their dream. Many times injury can result from the actions of a person suffering with this condition so proper diagnosis and treatment is imperative.
Sleep, as we know it, involves three important transitional states.
- Wakefulness
- N-REM sleep (non-rapid eye movement)
- REM sleep (rapid eye movement, when most dreaming occurs)
In an RBD patient, the brain is not successfully separating these stages of sleep. This causes the actions of wakefulness to cross over into the REM and N-REM stages. A person without RBD would remain still while sleeping, but patients with RBD move around and sometimes even become violent.
Patients have been known to shout, grab, kick and punch during sleep which can cause injury to themselves or their sleep partner. They may even suddenly leap or jump out of bed which can also cause injuries. RBD can sometimes be linked to other medical problems, you need to have a medical exam from a neurologist to properly diagnose the disorder.
A sleep study is often used in diagnosis of RBD. It records arm and leg movements, brain waves, breathing patterns and heartbeat during sleep. Videos of your sleep study will record whether or not you actually get out of bed. As Thomas Heric knows, very successful treatment for RBD is available and brings relief to patients suffering from this disorder.
Sources:
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/rem-behavior-disorder/treatment
