REM sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, is characterized by the absense of the paralysis that normally occurs during normal REM sleep. This absense causes the sufferer to “act out” their dreams. The dreams are usually vivid, intense and often violent, which causes the sufferer to talk, yell, scream, punch, kick, jump from bed, flail arms and grab. Sufferers often sustain injuries and often injure bed partners. RBD is much more common in men than women and usually occurs at middle-age or later in life, although it can occur earlier. An acute form can occur during withdrawal from alcohol or sedative-hypnotic drugs or from the use of some anti-depressants.
RBD is associated with the following neurological disorders:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multi-system atrophy
- Diffuse Lewy body dementia
- Shy-Drager syndrome