10 Bizzare Sleep Syndromes

Bruxism

Bruxism is the name given to those who grind their teeth during sleep. Most sufferers are actually unaware that they are doing it. For those that do have to endure the painful consequences, they can suffer from headaches, damage to the jaw and arthritis of the temporomandibular joints.

Kleine-Levin syndrome

A sufferer of Kleine-Levin syndrome needs upto 20 hours of sleep every single day. They also commonly have an excessively high sex-drive and food intake. It is believed that the syndrome is hereditary and that there is no one definitive treatment.

Narcolepsy

This neurological sleep disorder is often associated with falling asleep at random times. A sufferer of narcolepsy tend to fall straight into REM sleep and, unfortunately for them, miss out on the restorative stages of a normal sleep.

Night Terrors

Screaming, gasping and moaning are usual from those that suffer from night terrors as they sleep. They are often unable to rouse themselves from this state for a full 20 minutes but, in most cases, they are unable to recall the incidents by the morning.

Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome

Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome is an extremely rare disorder that happens when the sufferer is unable to recognise the usual 24 hour sleep cycle. They will shift their sleep times around. Interestingly, this syndrome almost exclusively occurs in visually impaired people.

Rapid-eye movement behaviour disorder

During the rapid-eye movement phase of sleep, most people enter into a temporary paralysis which causes no harm whatsoever. Sufferers of this disorder however retain the use of their limbs and this can lead to the acting-out of their dreams, often violently.

Restless legs syndrome

A sufferer of restless legs syndrome will have an irresistible urge to move their legs to prevent an uncomfortable sensation while sleeping. It can strike at any time when the sufferer is lying in a prone position, extreme cases are sometimes treated with opiates.

Sexsomania

A variant of sleepwalking, a sufferer of sexsomania will commit sexual acts during their sleep. A Canadian male sufferer in 2005, woke up one morning, wearing a condom and found himself facing a sexual assault claim. He was later cleared of all charges because he suffered from sexsomania.

Sleep apnoea

This is a rather common condition that sees the sufferer stop breathing during the night which thus wakes them up. It can happen over and over again during one nights sleep. Symptoms can exist for many years without identification, leaving the sufferer with a feeling of fatigue.

Somniloquy

Somniloquy is more commonly known as ’sleep talking’. The symptoms can range from random, simple nonsense sounds to long and elaborate speeches. Because it happens mainly during REM sleep, the sufferer will often speak their dreams out loud. People have been divorced for less.

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