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Posted by spot on June 12, 2002 at 10:07:55:In Reply to: My Son Officially Spooked Me posted by Dash on June 11, 2002 at 12:59:31:
Alrighty...
if he was aleep (and he won't remember if he was), his actions are far too complex for sleep-walking and may be REM-behaviour disorder; where the sleeper retains control of muscles, and therefore acts out dreams.
However, from your description, I don't think that's it. This sounds more like hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations. These are hallucinations experienced while falling asleep or waking. They can be very vivid, usually visual, but also auditory and sensory; often extremely frightening too.
first, if it is, these kind of hallucinations can be experienced by ANYONE who is sleep deprived; they are associated with certain disorders for that reason. Narcolepsy and sleep-disordered breathing(SDB) are the main ones considered clinical and not 'benign'.
My 6 yr old son, in the narcolepsy-diagnosis stage, experiences both REM behaviour disorder hallucinations, and sleeping when hot is a trigger.
REM-behaviour: only associated with narcolepsy within sleep disorders in children. (post-traumatic stress and parkinson's onset in elderly are the other two).
Hallucinations: associated with SDB and Narcolepsy, also experienced by anyone sleep deprived (the key is 'how often does this happen?'). This could be a one-time event that won't happen again...:)
possibilities:
1. HEAT: if the heat's interferring with his sleep for the last couple nights, it may just be a sporadic thing, he may be over-tired. Try a fan at the same level as his bunk, to cool him if it is a trigger.
2. SDB: I don't know much about this, but if he snores alot, this may be a possibility. The heat too, could exacerbate this problem.
3. Narcolepsy: unfortunately, symptoms tend to appear/add-on over the years and it's often not recognized until many years later, when more overt symptoms appear. In the absence of any other indications, this would be unlikely, I think, but worth remembering if future issues crop up.
I'd suggest keeping an eye out, see if it occurs again and how often, and if heat/cold affects incidence. You could also video tape it if it happens again too, it would help determine what happened. If ur son is upset or concerned (or u too), see his pediatrician; also, if he snores, take him too (and search back for posts by Monica - her children had SDB). I'm certainly not a doctor, and only a professional will be able to assess what's going on (make sure the doc has knowledge of sleep disorders - preferably in children).
Finally, if your son is easily emotional or meeting the criteria for ADD/ADHD, suspect a sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation in children tends to manifest as hyperactivity and other ADD symptoms - it's a self-stimulating technique so they can function through the day. The hallucinations/sleep-event plus behavioural issues suggests a sleep-related problem as a possibility. Only a professional and a sleep-study will be able to diagnose him and give him the support he would need in that case.
Sorry it's so long, but I know what it is to be SPOOKED like that...hopefully this will give you some starting points to look at. good luck to you
spot
- Re: My Son Officially Spooked Me dash 10:38 6/12/02 (0)
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