Description of Sleep-Related Movement Disorders

Abstract

Sleep is commonly considered a state of quiescence with motor inactivity, but in fact, several motor manifestations occur during sleep, including both physiological (i.e., hypnic jerks, fragmentary myoclonus during sleep, gross body movements) and pathological motor phenomena. In addition, a wide variety of abnormal and complex sleep-related motor behaviors such as parasomnias and nocturnal frontal lobe seizures may also occur during sleep. This article provides an overview of the most common sleep-related motor manifestations.