Introduction
Parasomnias are characterized by the occurrence during sleep of phenomena that would normally only be seen when a person is awake (Hobson 1995). A parasomnia is basically a dysfunction that occurs in three different brainstem systems: cognitive, respiratory and motor systems (Hobson 1995). People generally do not remember the occurrence of an episode of parasomnia when they awake the morning after it occurs. Parasomnias can be harmful to a person because they cause disruptions in sleep cycles that lead to lower sleep efficiency and a greater number of arousals from slow wave sleep as well as a greater number of awakenings (Espa 2000).