REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Often, patients realize something is wrong when they — or their bed partner— sustain injuries such as bruising, cuts, fractures, swelling or dislocated joints during sleep. If you experience this situation, especially when paired with vivid dreams, see a neurology and sleep medicine expert right away. 

During your first visit, we will ask you a series of questions to determine whether you have RBD or another condition. Questions will cover potential risk factors, such as: 

• General health – Constipation and chronic loss of the sense of smell can be symptoms of RBD, as well as early indicators of Parkinson’s disease 
• Mental health – Individuals with a current mood disorder (such as PTSD or anxiety) or history of traumatic brain disease may be at increased risk 
• Types of medication you take – In some patients, beta blockers, sleep aids and anti-anxiety/depression medications increase the risk of RBD 
• Home and work environment, such as potential pesticide exposure 
• Whether others have observed unusual behavior while you’re asleep 
• Whether you consume alcohol or have recently stopped drinking 

In many cases, your answers to these questions are enough to diagnose RBD. However, if we suspect another concern, such as dementia or narcolepsy, we will recommend additional exams.  

A sleep study with audio/video recording is the gold-standard diagnostic exam. Using EEG brain wave monitoring, we can tell whether actions or verbalizations during sleep are occurring in the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycle. 

Brain imaging also can show structural lesions that may cause symptoms, such as a benign or cancerous brain tumor, demyelination of nerve fibers or hardening of the arteries in the brain.