Ever found yourself talking in your sleep or hallucinating? Here's everything you need to know about the sleep disorders that could be messing with your snooze time. 😴
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00:00What if my partner finds out about my past because I sleep talk?
00:03Some may just masturbate in their sleep and have no idea whatsoever around it.
00:07You're waking up from your sleep and you feel somebody's calling out your name?
00:11That is a hallucination.
00:13You could have them when you've been sleep deprived,
00:15you could even have them when you're missing someone or you've lost someone.
00:18Sleepwalking happens when your eyes are still open,
00:21but you're actually in a trance-like state.
00:27Welcome to the world of parasomnias.
00:29That is, sleep problems.
00:59Sleep talking is really common and often sometimes associated with sleepwalking or somnambulism.
01:08You may find yourself cleaning the house.
01:10You may find yourself in a different room.
01:12You may find yourself just walking around the house,
01:14sometimes walking the streets, which can be fairly dangerous.
01:16Sleepwalking happens when your eyes are still open,
01:20but you're actually in a trance-like state.
01:22Now, another important thing that some people do while sleepwalking
01:26is sleep-related eating disorder or eating while sleeping.
01:30They may go on to make full-fledged meals,
01:31while sometimes they may just take whatever is in front of them,
01:34even if it's inedible and disgusting, and eat it up.
01:37Now, sleep paralysis as a parasomnia is extremely scary for the person.
01:42The most common type of hallucination that people report is incubus,
01:46as if there's chest pressure.
01:48There could be vestibular motor hallucination,
01:50as if the world is shaking and the bed is shaking for them.
01:53And as if an intruder has entered their room,
01:56and they keep on trying to look for a person in that sleep paralysis state.
02:00It happens because when the brain is changing gears
02:02between the NREM and REM or the other way around,
02:05it gets stuck.
02:06The gearbox gets stuck.
02:08So the flip-flop switch mechanism gets affected,
02:11and as a result, you feel the muscles are paralyzed,
02:15which is from the REM stage,
02:16but I am aware of everything, which is from the NREM stage.
02:20You're no longer dreaming.
02:21No, it is not a dream.
02:23Cutting out alcohol, avoiding too much of stimulating movies at night,
02:27too much of gore and bloodshed at night can be helpful as well.
02:30One more sleep-related issue that we see, not very common,
02:35but may really bother you is something called sexsomnia,
02:39meaning having sex in your sleep and having no recollection of that same.
02:44Of course, a partner may let you know,
02:46while some may just masturbate in their sleep
02:48and have no idea whatsoever around it.
02:50Nightmare would happen typically in the REM cycle
02:53when the dreams are happening.
02:54You may remember the dream.
02:56You may wake up.
02:57While the night terror, usually seen in children,
03:00you may have seen them getting really, really jittery in their sleep,
03:03screaming, shouting, crying, moaning.
03:06That is a night terror.
03:07You may not remember what were you really dreaming about.
03:09Have you ever had this eerie experience
03:11where you're going to sleep or you're waking up from your sleep
03:14and you feel somebody's calling out your name?
03:17That is a hallucination.
03:18Yes, sleep-related hallucinations are called hypnagogic or hypnopompic,
03:22depending on when do they happen.
03:24If they happen while going to sleep, they're called hypnagogic.
03:26If they happen in the early waking hours, they're called hypnopompic.
03:29They're fairly common.
03:31They're fairly normal.
03:32You could have them when you've been sleep deprived.
03:34You could even have them when you're missing someone
03:36or you've lost someone.
03:37So why do these parasomnias happen?
03:40There are a bunch of reasons,
03:41starting from genetic to neurological,
03:43sleep deprivation, even stress, mental health conditions.
03:46There could be overstimulation from the devices that we get at night,
03:50watching too much of gory content and sometimes even drug use.
03:54What to do if you're having one or more of the conditions that I described?
03:58First of all, please don't self-diagnose.
04:00See the right specialist.
04:02You can speak to a neurologist, a neuropsychiatrist,
04:05a sleep medicine specialist.
04:06At the same time, ensure that you get plenty of rest.
04:10You do not have erratic hours of sleep.
04:12Engage in sleep hygiene.
04:14Avoid drug use.
04:15Ensure safety of self and that of the partner.
04:18The thing I'd really like you to try
04:20is something called relaxation techniques at the sleep time.
04:23They help you progressively fall into better quality of sleep.
04:28What not to try is extremely important to address as well.
04:31Please do not beat up the person having these parasomnias.
04:34These are not possessions by the devil or the evil.
04:38These are disorders with proper treatment at the right time.