Non-REM Sleep Arousal Disorders

Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and confusional arousals are a cluster of arousal disorders that occur during non–rapid eye movement (non-REM or NREM) sleep and are referred to as NREM sleep arousal disorders or partial arousal parasomnias. Events most frequently occur during slow wave sleep (SWS; most commonly occurs in Stage 3), resulting in their timing to most often be in the first third of the night; however, they can also appear during Stage 2 sleep or later in the sleep period.

These disorders are most frequently seen in children younger than 13 years of age, with prevalence rates for sleepwalking ranging from 0.8% to 17% with a peak around ages 11 to 12 years, whereas prevalence rates for confusional arousals are as high as 17% and peak ...