New sleep disorder discovered impacting combat Soldiers

http://goo.gl/73qmtJ

"Redeployed military personnel have reported for the last 13 years complex nighttime behaviors ranging from sleepwalking, tossing and turning, thrashing, screaming, and even hitting their bed partners," said Col. (Dr.) Vincent Mysliwiec, principal investigator and lead author, and U.S. Army Medicine sleep medicine specialist. "While these disruptive nocturnal behaviors are frequently reported, they are rarely documented in laboratory settings."

According to published results, all of the young men developed disruptive nighttime behaviors and nightmares after suffering a traumatic experience. Some reported screaming and combative movements, while others experienced night sweats and crying episodes throughout the night. "Normally individuals in REM sleep are paralyzed and do not move, thus they are unable to act out their dreams. Patients with TSD appear to have dream enactment, with purposeful movements that can occur in REM sleep," said Mysliwiec. "This case series is a major step forward in not only diagnosis and treatment of military personnel with sleep disturbances, but also sleep safety for families."