It is a common disorder which is believed and which may seem harmless, it can sometimes be problematic
Deep sleep and suddenly a sound wakes you up. Do not know if it's the doorbell, telephone, television or your alarm clock. You are totally confused and disoriented, and even can act violently.
According to experts, the above behavior corresponds to a sleep disorder called "sleep drunkenness," a condition that according to a recent study is more common than believed.
"It's like they're totally drunk, did not know where they are or what they are doing," described Maurice Ohayon, psychiatrist dream of Stanford Medical School and co-author of the research, which was published in the journal Neurology.
The specialist added that this is a condition that usually occurs when a person wakes up suddenly, and is different from night terrors or sleepwalking.
The so-called "sleep drunkenness" is also different from the feeling of drowsiness that most people experience after awakening. This is because people with this disorder are not conscious of their actions and usually forget what happened during episodes.
According to the results of the study conducted by the Stanford School of Medicine, nearly 15% of Americans have "sleep drunkenness", which means that 1 in 7 people suffer, but unknown. "These episodes have not received much attention, but because they occur with great frequency in the general population, further studies regarding why they occur and how they can be treated must be done," Ohayon told CBS News.
"The prevalence is surprising," said Newsweek meanwhile Stuart Quan, professor of sleep medicine at the Harvard Medical School.
And although it seems to be a harmless condition, it really is not as much as it can be difficult if it occurs frequently. "The person in this state does not have cognitive abilities," said Ohayon, so potentially could injure yourself or someone nearby. This has led experts to think that may be a phenomenon related to the ability of animals to react to a potential threat.
"This mechanism has a protective role for the survival of the animal, you need to respond quickly to a potential threat when awakened suddenly," say the researchers in the study.
Each episode of "sleep drunkenness" lasts at least five minutes, but in some cases can even be extended for fifteen minutes.
The investigation also determined that the phenomenon is more common in people with mental disorders such as depression, sleep disorders or taking psychotropic medications.
Positives according Ohayon, is that it is a condition that can be easily fixed with a visit to the doctor, who may recommend changes in lifestyle or perhaps sleep medications.
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