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Violent Sleep Behaviour
Since childhood I’ve had unusual sleep behaviors like talking, screaming, and moving my limbs during sleep. This seems to run in my family (my father and sister have milder issues), but over the years mine has become more severe and sometimes violent. I have very vivid dreams and episodes of sleep paralysis, and when I wake up I sometimes struggle to re-orient to reality. For example, I once woke up screaming at my mother about being killed in a dream, fully believing it was real and forgetting my actual identity for a short time. There have also been episodes where I’ve kicked my father, thrown pillows or bags at a roommate, hit myself, and once tried to choke my sister with a pillow — all while asleep. I have no memory of these actions and no violent intent while awake. These episodes are distressing and frightening, and I’m concerned about safety. I’m planning to undergo a sleep study but would like guidance on the correct type of evaluation and what condition this could represent.
Answers (12)
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Consult a sleep medicine specialist or an pulmonologist in your area
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You need a superspecialist like psychiatrist
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Psychiatrist
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Most likely diagnosis is REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (with parasomnia overlap)
test: Video polysomnography
Specialist: Sleep medicine / Neurology
This is a medical condition, not a psychological or moral issue,Effective treatments exist and safety can be significantly improved.
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What you are describing sounds like an ‘REM sleep and behavioural disorder’. We call it RBD.
*The fact that this has been going on for some years dating back to young age, you must be screened for a particular condition called PKU (PhenylKetonuria). There is a blood test available for PKU. There are treatments which involve changes to diet and medications if this is confirmed.
*The other condition you will need testing for is a type of epileptic disorder. So when you have sleep studies done, please make sure that they can also do your EEG during the study. If it turns out to be an epileptic disorders, this will need to be treated with anti epilepsy medication.
All the best.
J G S R clinic
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Dr. Anuj Mothsra
General Physician
6 yrs exp
Jhunjhunu
Can help you, kindly consult and provide detailed history for proper diagnosis and further management
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Ms. Shruti Pandve
MBBS
5 yrs exp
Mumbai
Kindly consult a psychiatrist to understand whether the issue is behavioral
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Dr. Sajid Ali
General Practitioner
4 yrs exp
Kanpur
Consult Psychiatrist
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Dr. Shaikh Huzaif
General Physician
18 yrs exp
Aurangabad
Please consult
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Dr. Abeed Ahmed
Diabetologist
11 yrs exp
Hyderabad
Consult sleep therapeutics . Specialist in sleep medicine. If you r from Hyderabad i can guide you
Next Steps
For more details take practo consultation
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Dr. Ravi Kumar Nadella
General Physician
18 yrs exp
Hyderabad
Genetic problem
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Disclaimer : The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.