Parasomnias from a Woman’s Health Perspective

Parasomnias are unwanted experiences or events, which occur during sleep or during sleep–wake transitions. Certain parasomnias, sleep-related eating disorder and sleep-related dissociative disorder, are more common in women. Conversely, sleepwalking, confusional arousals, and night terrors are equally distributed among men and women. Further, while REM behavior disorder is more common in men, it is not rare in women and needs to be considered in cases of sleep-related injury. It is important to recognize the unique features of the various parasomnias and their relationships to neuropsychiatric disease. Finally, these conditions are reversible with the proper identification and treatment of underlying comorbid sleep disorders, the discontinuation of inducing agents, as well as the judicious use of pharmacotherapy and environmental modification.