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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
67% of us experience parasomnias — expert shares 5 most common types and why they happen
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Experiencing a parasomnia, like sleep walking, can feel disturbing. Sleepwalking isn't the only parasomnia, though — other sleep conditions such as sleep paralysis, bed wetting and even sleep talking can be classed as a parasomnia. So what causes them? From stress and trauma, to lifestyle habits and medications (or even genetics) — there are many factors that can be responsible for parasomnias. Considering 67% of us experience parasomnias, we want to find out more. So, we're exploring what the most common parasomnias are, talking to sleep experts about why they affect some people more than others and strategies to manage or stop them to help you sleep better. What are parasomnias? Parasomnias are behaviours that occur during sleep, such as 'sleepwalking, sleep talking, or night terrors,' explains Dr Hamilton Gaiani, a double board-certified psychiatrist. He adds that these parasomnias are usually associated with 'stress, nervousness, or previous traumatic experiences.' 'For instance, sleepwalking occurs when the brain is not fully awake but the body is walking around, something that may occur when you're stressed or overwhelmed,' he explains. So, what's happening to the body when you're experiencing a parasomnia? Sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning adds that they can be categorised as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias or rapid eye movement (REM) parasomnias depending on which part of sleep they occur. She explains that there is another category called 'other parasomnias': 'This covers parasomnias that do not fit neatly into either the REM or NREM classifications." "NREM parasomnias typically occur in the first third of the night, whereas REM parasomnias tend to occur in the latter half of the night,' she adds. The 5 most common types of parasomnias explained There are many types of parasomnias, but these 5 are the most common. 1. Sleep walking Browning explains that someone who is sleepwalking is 'not fully conscious, but they may open their eyes, get up out of bed, walk downstairs, open the fridge, and even eat something, before going back to bed again.' Sleep walking might seem like a bit of a novelty, but this parasomnia can pose many dangers — especially if the walker leaves their house. 2. Sleep talking If you've ever been woken up by someone talking next to you, and they are fast asleep, they could be sleep talking. 'Sleep talking (or somniloquy) is a parasomnia where someone may start talking, mumbling, or shouting during their sleep without being aware that they're doing so,' the sleep expert explains. 'It can occur in any sleep stage but is most common in NREM sleep,' she adds. 3. Sleep paralysis A scary feeling to wake up to, explains that sleep paralysis is 'a state where you become paralyzed and cannot move or talk while falling asleep or waking up.' He explains that it's often linked to stress, anxiety or insufficient sleep condition could be more common than you think, with one study showing that 4 in 10 of us have experienced it. 4. Night terrors and nightmare disorder Night terrors are short episodes of fear or terror that seem to occur during deep sleep, says Dr. Gaiani. 'They may result in activity such as screaming, thrashing, or pounding heart.' 'The individual typically does not recall the episode in the morning. Night terrors are a parasomnia since they interrupt normal sleep and are usually precipitated by trauma or stress,' he explains. The reason individuals don't remember these episodes is because they usually take place during NREM sleep. 5. Bedwetting Wetting the bed while you sleep can be a traumatic experience, explains sleep expert Dr. Leah Kaylor. She explains that it's classed as a parasomnia because it 'happens during sleep without conscious control over the bladder.' This is a parasomnia which is more common in children, but adults can also experience the condition due to extreme stress, trauma, health conditions or poor sleep habits. What causes parasomnias? 'Parasomnias can be caused by a mix of physical, emotional, and environmental factors,' says Kaylor. She adds that one common cause is sleep deprivation. 'This is when the body doesn't get enough rest; it increases the chances of unusual brain activity during sleep.' Stress and anxiety are also major triggers Stress and anxiety are also major triggers, 'because they can make the brain more active during sleep, leading to disruptions like night terrors or sleepwalking,' she explains. But your sleep habits and lifestyle can also play a part. 'Irregular sleep schedules, such as going to bed at different times each night or doing shift work, can confuse the body's internal clock and increase the risk of parasomnias,' Dr Kaylor says. Genetics can also play a role as well as certain medications or substances, such as sleeping pills, stimulants or alcohol. How to stop parasomnias There are different ways to help manage parasomnias and even help to stop them, we've looked at a few solutions below but if you experience them frequently or their impacting your quality of life, you should speak with a specialist to find the right solution for you. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule Your body works off a sleep/wake cycle called the circadian rhythm. This is like a pre-programmed internal clock telling your body when to wake up and when to go to sleep. So keeping a consistent sleep schedule will allow your body to easily fall asleep and stay asleep, cycling through the individual sleep stages properly, which will help ward off parasomnia symptoms. Limit alcohol and other substances Although alcohol and other substances could relax you and help you initially get to sleep they could affect the quality of your sleep, says Browning. 'As alcohol affects sleep architecture, it can cause more fragmented and disturbed REM sleep in the latter part of the night, increasing the likelihood of parasomnias.' Try CBT Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) helps to change how we think and ultimately our actions. So, how can it stop parasomnias? 'CBT can help those dealing with the stress, anxiety, or trauma that causes sleep disorders or parasomnias - this is because it helps to alter the negative thought processes,' explains Improve sleep hygiene If you're being disrupted when you sleep it could be a good time to look at your sleep hygiene. So, what does this mean? Sleep hygiene refers to your environment and the habits you have that can impact your sleep. If you're waking up due to street lights or sunshine blaring into your bedroom it could be time to invest in black out blinds. If noise is the problem, then earplugs could be your best bet. Make sure where you sleep is also clutter free, well ventilated and has comfortable bedding — all key things to help you get a better night's sleep. Medication If none of the lifestyle solutions above help to cure your parasomnia then it may be worth looking at medications to help you. But always consult a physician or doctor before starting any medication (especially if it hasn't been prescribed for you) to make sure it's the right option.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What is 'floodlighting' & why are LGBTQ+ daters more likely to engage in it? Experts explain
From trauma bonding to love bombing, it seems like there is always a new toxic relationship behavior causing discourse on social media, but now there is a new dating trend on everyone's lips: floodlighting. And no, we're not talking about those bright lights in parking lots. Floodlighting is a dating trend where people overshare traumatic experiences in a brand-new relationship as a way to cement a bond. It may not be exclusive to LGBTQ+ relationships, but the queer community is uniquely susceptible to both floodlighting a new partner or being a victim of this technique that can be done unintentionally or as a premeditated manipulation technique. To breakdown why floodlighting is such a problem, how it impacts queer relationships, and what you can do if you're being floodlighted, PRIDE talked to Laurel Roberts-Meese, the clinical director at Laurel Therapy Collective, double-board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Hamilton Gaiani, and licensed professional counselor at Being Real Allison Briggs. Gorondenkoff/Shuttestock 'It's when someone discloses deeply personal or emotionally intense information early in a relationship — not for the sake of authentic connection, but to gain control, closeness, or reassurance. It's an attempt to bypass the natural progression of trust-building,' Briggs tells PRIDE. Author Brené Brown coined the in her book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead as way to explain the behavior of people who use intense oversharing as a way of 'soothing one's pain, testing the loyalty and tolerance in a relationship, and/or hot-wiring a new connection' to speed through the early stages of a relationship where you are slowly building trust and emotional closeness. Floodlighting is used to gain control and closeness, rather than to build an authentic connection. 'Floodlighting is a controlling action where an individual deliberately bombards their partner with exaggerated emotional reactions or comments, typically to make the other individual doubt their own senses or reality,' Dr. Gaiani explains. 'It's a controlling action to disorient the other individual, typically to deflect attention from the real problems or control the situation. The action is emotionally draining and can be extremely harmful to one's mental health.' ViDl Studio/Shuttestock Floodlighting can happen in any type of relationship, but queer people are more likely to floodlight a partner or be the victim of this toxic dating behavior. People usually floodlight a new partner as a way to create the illusion of intimacy and deeper connection, but it may happen even more in LGBTQ+ relationships because same-sex or T4T may fall into this trap more easily since they may already 'feel a deeper sense of connection over shared social and lived experiences,' Roberts-Meese says. Queer people are often dating within a small community that can feel close-knit and crave found family which can lead people to fall prey to floodlighting or be more likely to floodlight a partner without recognizing how toxic the behavior can be. Identity-related trauma (like being outed, family rejection, discrimination) and histories of marginalization are often shared to build a sense of belonging or visibility, but with floodlighting, those shared experiences are brought up too early in an attempt to manipulate. 'LGBTQ+ people have a greater need to create community and found family, especially if they have experienced family, religious, or community rejection,' she explains. It may also be harder to break away from a partner who is a toxic floodlighter if you're queer. 'Internalized issues, stigma and social pressure within the LGBTQ+ community may complicate an individual's ability to recognize or stop abusive relationship patterns,' Dr. Gaiani says. 1. Emotionally dumping on a new partner without consent before trust or a deep connection has been established.2. Sharing graphic details of abuse, trauma, or family estrangement on the first or second date.3. Quickly disclosing past suicidal ideation or mental health diagnosis in a way that puts pressure on the new partner to become responsible for your emotional well-being.4. Oversharing details of past failed relationships to bond and secure trust.5. Sharing a traumatic experience that you haven't fully processed with someone you just met.6. Divulging things to a brand new partner that you haven't shared with friends, family, or a therapist first. 'Floodlighting can seem similar to love bombing because it is overwhelming the partner emotionally, but love bombing generally starts out as an attempt to control through the guise of affection or attention,' Dr. Gaiani explains. 'Floodlighting, however, will tend to use confusion and emotional manipulation in an attempt to destabilize the partner. Floodlighting also shares some characteristics with trauma bonding, where the person becomes emotionally hooked on someone who is toxic or manipulative because of the highs and lows of the behavior on an emotional level.' While floodlighting can be incredibly toxic and manipulative, some people also do it unconsciously as a way to deal with 'loneliness, anxiety, or unprocessed trauma' as opposed to doing it with 'malicious intent,' Briggs says. Robbie Cheung/Shutterstock Whether it's a red flag depends on how often it's done and the context in which it occurs. 'One instance might just be poor boundaries or nerves. But if someone repeatedly overshares without regard for your emotional readiness or uses vulnerability to guilt, control, or fast-track the relationship, it is a red flag,' Briggs explains. Dr. Gaiani agrees, 'It is a sign of a toxic dynamic wherein one is attempting to manipulate the other with overwhelming emotional resources. It should be addressed in the early stages, and a mental health professional should be reached out to.' If a new partner is attempting to floodlight you, you need to set boundaries and protect your emotional well-being. This may mean seeking out support from trusted friends or family or going to see a therapist who can help you evaluate the relationship and work through the emotional manipulation you've suffered. Remember that you are not 'obligated to absorb emotional disclosures you're not ready for,' Briggs reminds us. And you should also be on the lookout for if the new person you're dating escapes, tries to guilt-trip you, or withdraws when you set boundaries. But what can you say to someone in the moment if they are floodlighting you? Briggs and Roberts-Meese both have some suggestions. 'I want to understand and support you, but this feels like a lot to process right now. Can we talk about this more when we've built some more trust?' 'That's a lot to take in right now. Can we slow things down?' 'Who in your life is supporting you around this?' If you have a tendency to floodlight new partners, consider slowing down when dating and try to find support and connections with your close friends before oversharing traumatic experiences on the first date. If you are dating someone new, try sharing things about yourself in layers, starting with things like hobbies and interests before diving into family dynamics and later traumatic experiences only once you've established trust and intimacy. And consider asking if it's okay to share something deeply personal with a new partner before blurting it out. 'If you notice these tendencies in yourself, it's necessary to see the harm it causes and make an effort to change,' Dr. Gaiani suggests. 'Try doing it with the assistance of a therapist to assist you in resolving the issues that cause this need for control or manipulation, such as unresolved trauma or emotional vulnerabilities.' So if you're guilty of floodlighting new partners it may be time to do some introspection. 'You cannot skip the foundation of a house; the structure is likely to collapse under pressure if you do. The same applies to relationships,' Roberts-Meese says. Dr. Hamilton Gaiani, a double-board-certified psychiatrist and recovery advocate and mental health expert at FirePit Health. Laurel Roberts-Meese, the clinical director at Laurel Therapy Collective. Allison Briggs, licensed professional counselor and trauma recovery specialist at Being Real. This article originally appeared on Pride: What is 'floodlighting' & why are LGBTQ+ daters more likely to engage in it? Experts explain 15 Signs That Prove You're In A Healthy Girl-Girl Relationship If your girlfriend wants an open relationship but you don't here's what to do, say experts 15 clear signs it's time for your relationship to be over
