1. a sleep disorder marked by irregular behavior or physiological occurrences happening during sleep or the transitional period between sleep and waking. In the DSM-IV-TR, parasomnias consist of sleep terror disorder, nightmare disorder, sleepwalking disorder, and parasomnia not otherwise specified, and make up one of 2 broad groups of primary sleep illnesses or dysfunctions, the other being dyssomnias.
PARASOMNIA: “I have struggled with my parasomnia since my diagnosis in 1998.”