[Health Science] You fall asleep, but your body is busy

When people enter a sleeping state, consciousness gradually disappears, muscle tissue gradually relaxes, and they slowly lose control of their bodies, the ability to perceive, recognize and react to external things, and become difficult to wake up.

Did you know that your body may do some strange things while you are fast asleep? Some of these strange behaviors during sleep are normal physiological phenomena, while others may be related to sleep disorders or other diseases. Which of the following seven abnormal behaviors during sleep have you experienced?

01Sleeping with eyes open

Some people have already fallen into a sweet dream, but their eyes are quietly open. This phenomenon is of course abnormal and is medically known as "eye popping syndrome". It may be due to low muscle tension of the orbicularis oculi muscle, which leads to incomplete eyelid closure; it may also be caused by diseases such as exophthalmos hyperthyroidism, facial nerve paralysis, and acute cerebrovascular disease.

02Snoring

Snoring is the behavior of snoring during sleep due to the vibration of the uvula (palatine uvula) caused by the narrowing of the upper airway. Factors such as enlarged tonsils, an enlarged tongue, excessive drinking, overweight, and improper sleeping posture can all cause snoring. However, severe snoring is often accompanied by sleep apnea syndrome, which requires early diagnosis and treatment.

03 Punching and kicking after falling asleep

Some people often punch, kick, and yell when they sleep at night, hurting themselves or their families. This may be related to rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which is often accompanied by mental depression, excessive drinking, cerebrovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. It is common in people over 50 years old, but there are also reports of onset in 15-year-olds.

04 Talking in sleep

During sleep, the entire cerebral cortex is in a diffuse state of inhibition, but a small number of nerve cells are still excited and active. If the nerve cells that control speech are active, you will talk in your sleep. Long-term sleep talking may be related to psychological pressure, emotional trauma, stressful events, neurological disorders and other factors.

05Sleepwalking

Sleepwalkers will get out of bed and move around on their own during sleep. They may cook, open doors, drive, get utensils, etc., and then go back to bed to continue sleeping. Most sleepwalkers are children between 6 and 12 years old. Most of them will recover on their own as they grow older and their central nervous system matures. If it happens frequently, relevant treatment is needed. Sleepwalking in adults may be caused by psychological factors such as unstable mental state or recent stress, or it may be related to disease factors such as schizophrenia and neurosis.

06Twitching during sleep

Have you ever had this experience: after you fall asleep, your body suddenly twitches, as if you are stepping on air, and you feel a distinct sense of falling, which scares you awake immediately. This is actually a normal physiological phenomenon. It is often related to factors such as overwork, lack of sleep, excessive mental stress, calcium deficiency, liver and kidney deficiency, etc. If it occurs frequently, it may be pathological tics, which are related to restless legs syndrome, epilepsy, brain disease, spinal cord disease, etc., and you need to go to the hospital for further examination.

07Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is actually not related to ghosts, but a sleep disorder. In medicine, it has another name: sleep paralysis. According to a US research report, 40% to 50% of people will experience sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime. Sleep paralysis is more common in teenagers and young people. Such people usually have too much stress in life, irregular work and rest time, often stay up late, suffer from insomnia, anxiety, etc.

If the above seven abnormal behaviors during sleep occur for a long time, become worse, or seriously affect your daily life, please see a doctor as soon as possible for relevant examinations, identify the cause and seek treatment early to avoid damage to your physical and mental health.