ABSTRACT
Parasomnias are characterized by the presence of unpleasant motor activity and activation of cognitive systems, with or without autonomic activation during sleep. Parasomnias are generally separated into two categories, primary and secondary parasomnias. Primary parasomnias are a group of sleep disorders classified in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, second edition, (ICSD-2) (1) into three broad subtypes based on the respective sleep states in which they arise. They include disorders of arousal from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, disorders of arousal from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and other parasomnias. Secondary parasomnias manifest in the sleep period as events from another organ system.
