Night terrors in an adult precipitated by sleep apnea.
Parasomnias are generally described as disorders of arousal that arise out of stage 3 and 4 nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep without identifiable cause. We present a case of a 35-year-old man who during nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment for severe obstructive sleep apnea experienced an intense night terror triggered by a residual obstructive apnea during rebound deep sleep. The role of rebound deep sleep was thought to be essential in creating a state of sleep with a high arousal threshold hypothesized to be important for the occurrence of parasomnias. This case supports the clinical wisdom that identifiable sources of arousal can trigger parasomnias.
Pressman
M R
MR
Department of Medicine, Lankenau Hospital and Medical Research Center, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania 19096-3498, USA.
Meyer
T J
TJ
Kendrick-Mohamed
J
J
Figueroa
W G
WG
Greenspon
L W
LW
Peterson
D D
DD
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012895:Sleep, REM