Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Regulating Symptoms of Catathrenia-Nocturnal Groaning

Andreja Packard^{* *}Correspondence: Andreja Packard, Medical Co-Director, Sleep Disorders Center, UF Health Jacksonville Neuroscience Institute, United States, Email:

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Description

We may suffer from an uncommon sleep disorder called catathrenia. Catathrenia appears as a protracted, monotonous groan or moan that is unconsciously made when the person is asleep and is sometimes referred to as "nocturnal groaning." Additionally, it could sound like a high-pitched squeak. Even while it's mostly innocuous, it can still be extremely frightening (especially if we are not aware that someone else is going through it). Catathrenia is a rare chronic respiratory illness, according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition. However, scientists were divided about whether it could be considered a parasomnia (a sleep disorder).

Symptoms

The predominant sign of catathrenia is groaning. Those who suffer from catathrenia typically inhale deeply before exhaling with a prolonged moan or groan.

The moaning is distinct from snoring since it only occurs during exhalation and sounds like something is preventing breath from leaving the throat. "Bed companions generally describe hearing the person take a deep breath, hold it, then slowly release; often with a high-pitched squeak or groan," Catathrenia frequently happens while a person is dreaming. The stage of sleep during which dreams and memory consolidation occur is known as REM sleep. Catathrenia can also be present throughout other sleep cycles, however it is less typical. The groaning may be intermittent with times of regular breathing or it may be constant. People with catathrenia are frequently completely unaware of the noises, even though they can be rather loud (recorded between 40 dB (a cricket) and 120 decibels (a chainsaw).

Other physical signs could be:

• Mouth breathing causes dry mouth

• Headache or grogginess in the morning

• General drowsiness and weariness during the day

A common symptom is feeling exhausted during the day. According to a 2017 article in Sleep Medicine, 44.7% of the patients expressed sleepiness throughout the daytime.

Reasons for night time groaning

Since catathrenia is so uncommon, no one knows its exact cause. However, the larynx, which is where the vocal cords are located, is where the groan is supposed to start. "The vibration of the structures is the cause of every sound to generate." In catathrenia, the vocal cords are vibrating instead of the back of the throat, which results in the sound emanating from the voice box.

Conclusion

This nocturnal (or nightly) groaning could be the result of several potential suspects. Catathrenia can be brought on by dysfunctional neurons (nerve cells) in the area of our brain that regulates breathing, a small jaw, narrow upper airways, and an issue known as inspiratory flow disorder, which is when breathing doesn't change even when we try to breathe more, according to the Sleep Foundation. According to the Sleep Foundation, genetics may be at play, suggesting that catathrenia may run in families. However, it is still a mystery as to why people are groaning. There simply aren't enough cases of catathrenia to provide investigators with reliable evidence to identify the causes. Perhaps there are multiple causes as well.