Does this sound like REM Sleep Disorder?

[tom_h]

My wife is 68 years old.  She has been experiencing a peculiar facet of her sleep which I will explain:
It usually occurs late in her sleep cycle between 4am and 7am. It begins as twitching of the finger and arms.  Sometimes it stops there and last for perhaps 30 minutes before she falls back into a quiet sleep.  However often it builds further to acting out her dreams.  This may include pounding the mattress, or wagging an outstretched pointed finger in a corrective fashion.  Quite often she will talk perfectly clear.  For instance, today she said that "I have taken enough and now I'm going to start to stand up for myself!" Yesterday she called someone a "creepy *******". If I awaken her, there is a few moments where the dream world and the waking world meld together, and she may momentarily mistake me for her dream nemesis.  After waking her, she easily falls back to sleep, and will often pick up right where she left off.  After a period of time, perhaps 30 to 35 minutes of this, activity fades and she returns to a restful sleep until rising.  We went to our physician and asked him about this, but he didn't seem concerned and didn't want to seek further examination of this.  But this is obviously not a normal sleep pattern.  Does anyone have any insights on what this might be, and how to peruse a diagnosis?

[lan1978]

This sound a lot like RBD. I have it. You can have a sleep study done, but they are not always conclusive. Clonazepam is about the only med that is very effective for this, but it doesn't make the problem totally disappear. Be careful and protect yourself from being harmed. Good luck.

[morpheus1514]

The possibility of a REM disorder is certainly suggested by your description.  However as long as there are no serious adverse consequences you are probably safe taking your doc's advice.  If you want a second opinion you might ask for a referral to an MD who specializes in sleep.