Connect
← Return to My husband has REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
Discussion
My husband has REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
Sleep Health | Last Active: Nov 7 12:29am | Replies (62)Comment receiving replies
My husband has all the symptoms and went for a sleep study last night. However, he doesn't have these wild dreams every night and I wonder what the sleep study can find if he had a quiet night. Can they still diagnosis REM sleep disorder if he didn't have any physical dream during the sleep study?
Replies to "My husband has all the symptoms and went for a sleep study last night. However, he..."
The way it was explained to us was: In normal REM sleep, a person's muscles are paralyzed, so they don't act out their dreams. In REM sleep disorder, even if it doesn't appear outwardly that they are dreaming, if their muscles are twitching, they shouldn't be. Your husband probably had some electrodes attached to muscles to determine if the muscles were paralyzed or not.
Connect
Hello @terrysue, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I've had a sleep study done that diagnosed my obstructive sleep apnea and I know they have a lot of leads hooked up to you and cameras watching you sleep - all to monitor breathing, heart, movement, and more but I'm not sure of the specifics. Mayo Clinic has some information on how it's diagnosed and treated here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352925
That would be a great question for your husband to ask the sleep medicine doctor when he meets with the doctor after the sleep study and they go over the results. I've always found it helpful to have someone with me when there may be questions so that I don't forget to ask. Are you able to attend the meeting with your husband and take notes?