Enacting dreams is the main symptom of REM sleep behavior disorder. This means that a person suffering from this disorder can sometimes be violent and cause injuries to themselves or people close to them at the time. Some can leap out of bed or start punching and kicking without being awake (Uddin, 2014). For some, the symptoms are not as severe and just tend to make noises such as talking, laughing, crying or yelling. This may wake the person up but not always. Dreams are often remembered after awaking from this. These symptoms only occur during the REM stage of sleep where rapid eye movement occurs. There are no other symptoms that negatively affect one's health if they do happen to suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder (Grohol, 2014).
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The most effective form of treatment to reduce the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder is medication. Clonazepam seems to be the most common medication used. This drug is an anticonvulsant which means it is mainly used for people who suffer from seizures. It works by relaxing the muscles (Uddin, 2014). Clonazepam is also a depressant and a mild tranquilizer. This allows the person with REM sleep behavior disorder to sleep through REM stage with relaxed muscles to prevent any unwanted movements (Lava, 2014).
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