Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Sleep Disorders157• Occur in multiple family or extended family members, suggesting a genetic predispositionor susceptibility.• Can be triggered by wide-ranging stimuli, including sleep deprivation, stress, erraticsleep schedules, sleeping medications, stimulants, pregnancy, and tranquilizers.• Are not fully understood as sleep researchers try to disentangle the roles ofbrain, neurotransmitter, genetic, and environmental mechanisms in thesedisturbances.Sleep TerrorsAlso called night terrors, sleep terrors typically occur in the first few hours of sleepduring stage 3 or 4 NREM sleep. Physiologically, the first sign of a sleep terror issharply increased physiological arousal—restlessness, sweating, and a racing heart.The person abruptly sits up in bed and may let out a panic-stricken scream or cryfor help. To anyone who investigates, the person appears to be awake, thrashing inbed, terrified, and disoriented.Whereas a nightmare involves a progressive unpleasant dream story, a sleep terroris usually accompanied by a single but terrifying sensation, such as being crushedor falling. Often, the person imagines that he or she is choking or being smotheredor that a threatening figure is present, such as an animal or a monster. Despite theappearance of being awake, it is impossible to calm down the person. In fact, suchefforts may actually produce the opposite effect, increasing the person’s confusion(Mahowald & Schenck, 2005).Sleep terrors are dramatic but tend to be brief, usually lasting for a minute or less.As the episode passes, the person drops back to quiet sleep and wakes in the morningwith no recollection of the incident.Sleep terrors are more common in children than adults. For most children whoexperience sleep terrors, the episodes subside and stop during adolescence.Nonetheless, approximately 4 to 5 percent of adults experience sleep terrors(Mahowald & Bornemann, 2005).SleepsexAlso called sexsomnia, sleepsex involves abnormal sexual behaviors and experiencesduring sleep. Without realizing what he or she is doing, the sleeper initiates somekind of sexual behavior, such as masturbation, sleepsex-talking, groping or fondlingtheir bed partner’s genitals, or sexual intercourse. Although sometimes described asloving or playful, more often sleepsex behavior is characterized as “robotic,”aggressive, and impersonal. Whether affectionate or forceful, the person’s sleepsexbehavior is usually depicted as being out of character with the individual’s sexualbehavior when awake (Schenck & others, 2007). As is the case in other parasomnias,the person typically has no memory of his or her actions the next day (Schenck, 2007).Repeated episodes of sleep masturbation, fending off one’s bed partner in themiddle of the night, or rough sex can strain or destroy a relationship. Feelings ofembarrassment, shame, or guilt about the unremembered behaviors are common.The thought of sleeping away from home is anxiety provoking.sleep terrorsA sleep disturbance characterized by anepisode of increased physiological arousal, intensefear and panic, frightening hallucinations,and no recall of the episode the nextmorning; typically occurs during stage 3 orstage 4 NREM sleep; also called night terrors.sleepsexA sleep disorder invoving abnormal sexualbehaviors and experiences during sleep; alsocalled sexsomnia.sleepwalkingA sleep disturbance characterized by anepisode of walking or performing otheractions during stage 3 or stage 4 NREMsleep; also called somnambulism.Sleepwalking Sleepwalking is fairly commonin children. Approximately 1 percentof preschoolers and 2 percent of schoolagedchildren walk in their sleep at leasta few nights per week (National SleepFoundation, 2004). More generally, about15 percent of all children have had at leastone sleepwalking episode. Researchersused to believe that children outgrew theirtendency to sleepwalk by late adolescence.However, sleepwalking in adulthood ismuch more common than once thought.It’s now known that about 4 percent ofadults are sleepwalkers (Hughes, 2007).SleepwalkingThe Prologue story about Scott described several key features of another parasomnia—sleepwalking, or somnambulism. Although the behavior of most sleepwalkers ispretty benign, some can react aggressively if touched or interrupted (Cartwright, 2004;Pressman, 2007). Equally important, a sleepwalker can engage in elaborate and complicatedbehaviors, such as unlocking locks, opening windows, dismantling equipment,using tools, and even driving.Approximately 15 percent of all children have had at least one sleepwalkingepisode. A commonly believed notion is that sleepwalking disappears by adulthood.Although the prevalence does decrease, about 4 percent of adults are sleepwalkers,making it much more common in adulthood than is generally believed.