Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Ways To Manage REM Sleep
Question: My son is a couple of months from turning 30 years old.
When he was 3 1/2 years old I ended up taking him to the emergency room because it was impossible to wake him up from a nap. At first the Dr thought that he might have spinal meningitis because of his lack of response to outside stimulus. They tried to give him a spinal tap during which he woke up fighting them. The doctor said that my son had too much strength for it to be SM.
He was admitted to the hospital for a variety of test. The diagnosis was that he had a type of seizure that children get from not getting enough sleep.
Fast forward to now.... He still has difficulty waking up.
He recently had a sleep study done which shows that he has no REM sleep.
He asked me for help finding out more about this problem and what can be done to help him live a normal life.
He is on medication for ADHD & has been prescribed a sleeping pill.
Because of his inability to wake up he is living in a group home and has difficulty making it to appointments.
When he was 3 1/2 years old I ended up taking him to the emergency room because it was impossible to wake him up from a nap. At first the Dr thought that he might have spinal meningitis because of his lack of response to outside stimulus. They tried to give him a spinal tap during which he woke up fighting them. The doctor said that my son had too much strength for it to be SM.
He was admitted to the hospital for a variety of test. The diagnosis was that he had a type of seizure that children get from not getting enough sleep.
Fast forward to now.... He still has difficulty waking up.
He recently had a sleep study done which shows that he has no REM sleep.
He asked me for help finding out more about this problem and what can be done to help him live a normal life.
He is on medication for ADHD & has been prescribed a sleeping pill.
Because of his inability to wake up he is living in a group home and has difficulty making it to appointments.
Brief Answer:
REM sleep may be suppressed by the antidepressants.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your question and understand your concerns.
It is necessary to clarify if the sleep study was undertaken simultaneously with the use of antidepressants ( Zoloft ), or not, because antidepressants use usually suppress the REM sleep phase.
In such cases, sleep study should be done after stopping antidepressants for few days, in order to get a correct understanding of the condition.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care.
REM sleep may be suppressed by the antidepressants.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your question and understand your concerns.
It is necessary to clarify if the sleep study was undertaken simultaneously with the use of antidepressants ( Zoloft ), or not, because antidepressants use usually suppress the REM sleep phase.
In such cases, sleep study should be done after stopping antidepressants for few days, in order to get a correct understanding of the condition.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you.
He said he will follow up with both doctors about doing that.
Your answer was a great help.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
He said he will follow up with both doctors about doing that.
Your answer was a great help.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Brief Answer:
You are welcome.
Detailed Answer:
Glad that I helped.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas too and your family good health.
Take care
You are welcome.
Detailed Answer:
Glad that I helped.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas too and your family good health.
Take care
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
