Parasomnias involve unusual experiences, emotions, movements, or behaviors during sleep or while moving between sleep and wakefulness. The term comes from a Greek-Latin combination of words: para = “outside of”, somnus = “sleep”, and ia = “condition”. 

Specifically, these conditions can include disturbing nightmares; dream-like sensory experiences or temporary paralysis when falling asleep or waking; sleepwalking; or night terrors. Alongside nighttime experiences, parasomnias can have an impact across the whole 24 hours: sleep disruption and fragmentation can affect how a person shows up the following day. 

This page explains what parasomnias can look like, which conditions may be involved, and when to seek support.

People with parasomnias may experience different patterns. Not everyone has every symptom.

• Disturbing dreams with clear recall after waking
• Walking, shouting, sitting up, or appearing frightened while not fully awake
• Temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking
• Sudden imagined sounds, visions, or sensations at a sleep–wake transition (for example: chest pressure, loud bang, electric sensation, perceived presence in the room)
• Confusion, fear, a racing heart, or difficulty returning to sleep
• Little or no memory of an event reported by someone else
• Fatigue, sleepiness, bedtime worry, mood changes, or reduced concentration during the day
• Injury, disrupted household sleep, or concern about school, work, driving, or daily routines related to sleep

Urgent medical attention may be needed for an event with serious injury, breathing difficulty, prolonged confusion, fainting, weakness, severe pain, or a possible seizure. Immediate support is also important if sleep experiences occur with thoughts of self-harm or feeling unsafe.

Arrange an appointment when:

• Events persist, worsen, recur, or begin unexpectedly
• There is wandering, falling, violent movement, or another safety risk
• Symptoms affect school, work, relationships, mood, driving, or daily function
• There is severe daytime sleepiness, sudden muscle weakness with emotion, loud snoring, gasping, or witnessed breathing pauses
• Symptoms begin after a medication, substance, or withdrawal change
• A child or teen has frequent, distressing, injurious, or developmentally unusual events

Seeking help is an important step towards understanding what condition might be contributing to parasomnias, and how to plan for effective treatment. During an assessment a healthcare professional will review reported events, when they occurred, memory about it afterward, sleep timing, medications, substances, stress, health conditions, and family observations. A sleep diary or home video may help demonstrate events. A sleep study with video, brain-wave monitoring, or other testing may be recommended when events are unusual or injurious, or when sleep apnea, narcolepsy, nocturnal seizures, REM sleep behavior disorder, or another condition is possible.

A person does not need to know the name or exact nature of a condition before asking for help. If a person experiences any of the symptoms above, it is appropriate to discuss them with a healthcare professional. 

Explore further details about how specific parasomnias are assessed and diagnosed on the condition pages listed above. Click on a card to learn more.