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| Bite HARD! |
MSA Sleep disorders are often discussed in various social media groups. Sunday early hours, I had a wake-up call that was disturbing and painful! After a very disjointed, long and very vivid dream, which ended where I was being held from behind by a stranger who had his arms around my body and neck, I tried everything in the book to break free. Eventually I decided to bite, hard, into his hand. I suddenly woke-up finding myself biting hard into my own right hand! It was immediately both shocking and painful!
Of the various sleep disorders associated with MSA, I most certainly have one of the more commonly experienced disorders, RBD and I quote from Wikipedia:
"Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder (more specifically a parasomnia) in which people act out their dreams. It involves abnormal behavior during the sleep phase with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The major feature of RBD is loss of muscle atonia (i.e., the loss of paralysis) during otherwise intact REM sleep (during which paralysis is not only normal but necessary). REM sleep is the stage of sleep in which most vivid dreaming occurs. The loss of motor inhibition leads to a wide spectrum of behavioral release during sleep. This extends from simple limb twitches to more complex integrated movement. These behaviors can be violent in nature and in some cases will result in injury to either the individual or their bed partner."
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| Dreams - Photograph supplied by SLEEP RESOLUTIONS |
The penny had dropped! Over the past 5 to 6 years I have certainly noticed my memory of realistic, vivid dreams has increased. It is now obvious to me, RBD is why I simply do not get a good night's sleep. This has also explained why I am so tired during the day and has no doubt led to me suffering from EDS, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. More about EDS can be found on the JAMA Neurology site. This is another "something" I will have to take up with my neurologist when I see her at the end of this month. Reading about RBD has been enlightening, as it is one of the "symptoms" that apparently point, at an early stage, to Multiple System Atrophy! It also appears to be caused by a degeneration of the Neurons in the Basal Ganglia.
Stridor and Sleep Apnea are two other serious MSA Sleep disorders that I suspect are beginning to hit me. These I will cover in this blog at a later date as and when they develop.
[If you have not read the first post of this blog, I recommend you visit HERE and read in chronological order, it will make my journey a little clearer for you]
Keep safe,
Neill
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, degenerative neurological disorder affecting your body's involuntary (autonomic) functions, including blood pressure, breathing, bladder function and muscle control. MSA shares many Parkinson's disease-like symptoms, such as slow movement, rigid muscles and poor balance. Treatment includes medications and lifestyle changes to help manage symptoms, but there is no cure. The condition progresses and eventually leads to death. Read my Journey with MSA @ https://msainsouthafrica.blogspot.com
