Case 37 - Jumping and yelling while asleep

Summary

This chapter discusses the case of a patient who had come to the sleep clinic with complaints of restlessness and jerks all night long from the moment he fell asleep. It presents the clinical history, examination, follow-up, treatment, diagnosis, and the results of the procedures performed on the patient. The patient also reported frequent palpitations, precordialgia with a negative cardiology workout, anxiety and hypomnesia, but no excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). The patient's polysomnography (PSG) results showed very superficial and fragmented sleep, with a sleep efficiency of 38%. On the basis of PSG, the specialist made a diagnosis of excessive fragmentary myoclonus and sleep starts. Excessive fragmentary myoclonus is a variant of normal fragmentary myoclonus, occurring predominantly in males, with a relatively benign course suggesting that it is not associated with a neurodegenerative disease, but may rather be due to disruptions of normal motor control mechanisms in sleep.