Rem Sleep Disorder

[delphicdragon]

Does anyone else have this? I routinely act out at night. I'm a very heavy sleeper (my boyfriend is not) and when we sleep in the same bed, I am horribly violent to him. I've given him a black eye, elbowed him in the ribs, kicked him in certain nether-regions and to my horror, tried to start certain "activities" all while dead asleep. Usually, he rolls me up in a blanket and shoves me to the other side of the bed, but it's really bothering me! When I'm sleeping on my own, I usually throw all the covers off the bed and have been known to toss pillows as well. Sometimes I hold conversations I don't remember.

We went to see my PCP, who diagnosed a probable REM sleep disorder and is sending me for a sleep study. (Basically it's acting out your dreams, which are, apparently, quite active!) I looked it up and this disorder affects MEN in their 50s. I am female in my 20s. It can also be a harbinger to parkinsons or dementia and has been seen in patients with Multiple Systems Atrophy. As far as I know, I just have POTS (which, knock on wood, has been relatively stable) due to Ehlers-Danlos. But I'm wondering if the POTS has done some damage to my brain stem leading to this REM sleep disorder.

Looking for advice / commiseration. I have always been a heavy sleeper who thrashes about. It takes me 5 alarms to wake up. My boyfriend is really accepting of these "activities" and since I'm barely half his size, and now that he knows WHAT it is, and that I have no control over it, he's comfortable wrapping me in blanket and shoving me over.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Sara

[HopeSprings]

I'm a weird sleeper too, especially those first few hours. I've had many episodes of my husband walking in the room as I'm falling asleep or I'll wake up when he comes in and I don't recognize him - I see him as a burgler or some stranger and I'll scream. And he'll say - it's ME and then I snap out of it. Other times he'll tell me the next morning, you were mean to me last night or do you remember saying this or that and I have no recollection of it. I had a sleep study done and it showed reduced "deep sleep" - not sure if that's the same as REM sleep? I agree with you - I feel like this is somehow part of the whole disorder. I never ever feel rested. And what I often feel like during the day is similar to a dream-like state.