World Sleep Day is recognised on 14 March 2025.
Sleep is something we often take for granted, until it’s disrupted, and then it throws everything else out the window. Whether it’s too much sleep, not enough sleep, or poor-quality sleep – it can throw off our days, weeks, or longer. For some, this can be a lifelong challenge.
My father had undiagnosed REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) for years. For those who are unfamiliar, during a normal night’s sleep, when you are dreaming and in REM (rapid eye movement), your body is typically motionless, in a temporary paralysis. For someone with RBD, the paralysis aspect doesn’t happen, and they can “act out” their dreams. This usually happens for the most unpleasant and action-filled dreams and is different than sleepwalking.
For my father, this meant while he was having vivid dreams of throwing a ball, fighting his brother, or revisiting traumatic childhood memories, he would be flailing his arms, shouting, or punching the person next to him.
He’s had to sleep in a separate bed and sometimes a separate room from partners, and often wakes up groggy, sore, and sometimes even injured. His partner would be hurt, scared and offended – asking ‘Why are you trying to hurt me?’.
This combined with sleep apnea, which went undiagnosed for decades as extremely loud snoring, seriously disrupted his nights, days, and relationships. Now that he has both diagnoses, he can be proactive – he uses a CPAP mask, is mindful of his sleep hygiene, and even took part in sleep studies for years. He found out that RBD is common in people with Parkinson’s disease, so is doing his utmost to take care of his health and be aware of any symptom development.
If you have an existing disability or long-term condition, you have probably experienced some sort of disruption to your sleep quality or quantity. For me, my mental health issues and medication can sometimes make me exhausted and have periods of excess sleep. I’m a vivid dreamer, just like my dad, but thankfully have not experienced RBD myself.
As they say, we spend a third of our lives sleeping – it’s important to make that sleep count! Follow the theme of World Sleep Day and Make Sleep Health a Priority. If you are struggling with your sleep, see if you can improve your sleep hygiene on your own or ask a doctor for professional advice.