Screaming
Question:
I scream in my sleep. Real, honest-to-goodness, bone-chilling screaming that wakes up my husband *and* the guy next door (we live in a duplex). Sometimes it wakes me up too, but not always. And I am otherwise OK, don’t have any traumatic dreams to recall or any terror associated with the screaming. Shrink isn’t interested and neither was sleep doctor. Any suggestions? I’d like to stop. MHA
Response:
> Shrink isn’t interested and neither was sleep doctor. Any > suggestions? I’d like to stop.
What do you mean they weren’t interested? Can you elaborate? Mark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> MHA
Response:
My man screams loudly in his sleep about once every couple of months or so. He says he is usually having dreams of aggressive arguments when he does this. What’s up? Why does he do this? How can he stop? I’d love to know. Sincerely, Rose
Response:
Hi, Rose, In article <35241628.7…@auracom.com>, Page1 <pa…@auracom.com> writes: >My man screams loudly in his sleep about once every couple of months or >so. He says he is usually having dreams of aggressive arguments when he >does this. >What’s up? Why does he do this? How can he stop? I’d love to know.
It sounds like a kind of sleep disturbance called a parasomnia, which are undesirable events that occur during sleep, and include sleepwalking, sleeptalking, and some other things. (I’m not a sleep expert, by the way, but a medical writer who write a lot about sleep disorders.) Parasomnias aren’t harmful, unless the person jumps out of bed and starts acting out dreams and could hurt himself or others. And they aren’t a sign of anything awful that’s wrong with the person. But sleeping with a screamer could be pretty nerve-wracking! I have read that stress and being sleep-deprived both can worsen parasomnias. So he may decrease his chances of having these episodes by learning to control stress and by making sure he gets plenty of sleep every night. If his sleep problems bother him or you a lot, you could talk with a sleep specialist about a medication that could help. Best wishes, Sally in Seattle (JSo…@aol.com) Coauthor, with Dr. Ralph Pascualy, of Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Personal and Family Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment, published in 1996 by Demos Vermande, NY. Available through bookstores, ISBN # 0-939957-82-5.
