Hiding in plain sight: Risk factors for REM sleep behavior disorder

Case Report of Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder

Summary

A 23-year-old female student presented with a five-year history of abnormal sleep in which she would sit up or stand up for brief periods in the early morning, talk loudly for a couple of minutes and then lie back down. When woken by family members she would remember vivid dreams and nightmares. In one episode she had a fall that resulted in a subdural hematoma. On presentation at the psychiatric hospital she had a normal mental status exam except for being mildly depressed and anxious about the chronic fatigue from poor sleep. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) showed multiple waking periods each night, poor sleep efficiency and a lack of normal muscle paralysis during REM sleep. The patient was diagnosed with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and treated with 1 mg clonazepam nightly. Her sleep improved dramatically and remained better at a six-month follow-up, but repeat PSG exam found that the lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep remained.