Which disorder involves acting out dreams due to loss of normal muscle atonia during sleep?

Which disorder involves acting out dreams due to loss of normal muscle atonia during sleep?

• A. Somnambulism
• B. Sleep apnea
• C. REM sleep behavior disorder
• D. Opioids

Answer: (C)

During REM sleep, the body is normally kept still by muscle atonia, preventing you from acting out dreams. When this atonia is lost, people physically enact their dream content, which is the defining feature of REM sleep behavior disorder. This contrasts with sleepwalking, which occurs in non-REM sleep and isn’t due to a failure of REM-associated muscle paralysis. Sleep apnea involves repeated breathing interruptions, not dream enactment, and opioids aren’t defined by causing dream-enactment behaviors. Understanding the loss of REM atonia helps explain why movement during dreams occurs in this condition, as opposed to the other sleep-related issues listed.

During REM sleep, the body is normally kept still by muscle atonia, preventing you from acting out dreams. When this atonia is lost, people physically enact their dream content, which is the defining feature of REM sleep behavior disorder. This contrasts with sleepwalking, which occurs in non-REM sleep and isn’t due to a failure of REM-associated muscle paralysis. Sleep apnea involves repeated breathing interruptions, not dream enactment, and opioids aren’t defined by causing dream-enactment behaviors. Understanding the loss of REM atonia helps explain why movement during dreams occurs in this condition, as opposed to the other sleep-related issues listed.