Is your bedwetting a type of Parasomnia?
Parasomnia is the term given to a category of sleep disorders.
Many unwanted behaviours, movements or emotions can occur whilst we sleep. These include activities such as sleepwalking, night terrors, nightmares, sleep talking, bruxism (teeth grinding), restless legs syndrome, snoring and sleep apnoea.
Sometimes these behaviours can be extreme - for example, sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) where people get up and consume food during the night whilst asleep and then have no recollection of eating the following day.
Some health experts say that bedwetting falls into the category of parasomnias - but there are no precise conclusions about this.
The exact causes of parasomnias are not always clear.
These types of unwanted behaviours can occur during any stage of sleep, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Factors such as food and drinks, sleep deprivation, stress, certain medications and other medical or psychological conditions can trigger parasomnia.
Certainly when we think about our stressful modern-day lifestyles it’s not surprising to learn that many people struggle with this type of disorder. Late night snacking on highly processed foods, alcohol consumption, stressful agenda-driven timetables as well as blue light emissions from excessive late night laptop or mobile phone screen usage, all contribute to interrupted sleep patterns.
Treatment and Management of Parasomnias.
In the initial instance, it’s good to consider sleep hygiene. This means taking a closer look at the habits, behaviours and environmental factors that can be adjusted to help with getting a good night’s sleep.
It’s also important to manage stress levels and this can be done more easily by incorporating relaxation exercises, guided meditations and hypnosis into your daily routine for a short period of time, creating a ‘detox for the mind’. Talking therapies such as CBT and NLP also help with reducing emotional overwhelm, enabling you to gain a new perspective on problems.
The ‘My Dry Bed’ online programme for teenagers and young adults incorporates all these strategies for that reason, helping you to work through these problems in a more methodical way.
About the Author
Alicia Eaton is a Harley Street based Psychotherapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist and the author of four best-selling books. She’s also a Winner in the latest ‘Global Health & Pharma’ Mental Health Awards 2023. For more details of appointments see here: One to One