Beating and kicking in sleep - Violent sleep disorders caused by antidepressants?

Study identifies risk factors for so-called REM sleep disorder

Some people suffer from a so-called REM sleep disorder, which is associated with seemingly aggressive behavior such as screaming, kicking and hitting while sleeping. In a recent study, a Canadian research team has identified previously unknown risk factors for this particular form of sleep disorder.

"Taking antidepressants for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or physician-diagnosed anxiety are risk factors for disruptive and sometimes violent sleep disorder, also referred to as REM sleep disorder," study author Ronald Postuma and colleagues at McGill University in Montreal report. Their latest study results have been published in the online edition of the journal "Neurology".

What is a REM sleep disorder?

REM sleep (rapid eye movement) is the dream phase of sleep. "During normal REM sleep, your brain sends signals to prevent your muscles from moving, but in people with REM sleep, these signals are disturbed," explain the experts. Concerned in the course of their dreams therefore show unusual behavior: they roar, beat with their arms around or kick until they hurt themselves or a sleeping partner.

More than 30,000 people examined

So far, much is not yet known about the REM sleep disorder. Thus, the risk factors are largely unclear. In the current studies, the researchers tried here to bring light into the darkness. For this purpose, 30,097 people were examined in the average age of 63 years. The researchers examined a variety of health factors and also asked about lifestyle, behavior, social, economic and psychological aspects. In the course of the investigations, they were able to identify 958 persons (3.2 percent of the subjects) with a possible REM sleep disorder. Participants with Parkinson's disease, dementia, Alzheimer's or sleep apnea were excluded.

Identified risk factors

Further evaluations revealed that more than two and a half times more than non-sleep subjects reported being taking antidepressants for the treatment of depression. They are also two and a half times more likely to be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and have twice as often a mental illness and more than one and a half times as often mental problems, the researchers report.

Men more often affected than women

Furthermore, the study has shown that men are twice as likely as women to suffer from REM sleep disorders. Also, alcohol consumption seems to play a role. People with a possible REM sleep disorder were 25 percent more likely to be moderate to heavy drinkers than people without sleep disorders. In addition, the sufferers had a slightly lower education, a lower income and were more often smokers, the study authors continue.

Basis for further research

However, a clear causal relationship between the risk factors and the REM sleep disorder can not be proven with the study. "Our research does not show that these risk factors cause a REM sleep disorder, it only shows that they are associated with it," said the study director Postuma. However, the new findings could serve as the basis for future research and contribute to a better understanding of REM sleep disorders, the expert stresses. Since REM sleep disturbance is closely related to future neurodegenerative diseases, the next step could possibly be to prevent diseases such as Parkinson's, the scientists hope. (Fp)