Is catathrenia common?
Christopher Davis
Updated on May 17, 2026
Catathrenia is very rare, with onset usually in adolescence or early adulthood (mean age 19 years with a range of 5 to 36 years). The prevalence of catathrenia is greater in men than in women. Catathrenia events may occur in clusters and resemble a run of central apneas.
What percent of people have catathrenia?
According to 2017 review of studies and case reports, researchers suggest that catathrenia affects less than half of 1 percent of the general population.Does catathrenia go away?
– Catathrenia, or sleep related groaning, is an uncommon feature of a sleep-related breathing disorder that can be successfully treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to a study published in the January 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.Is catathrenia serious?
Don't panic: Catathrenia is harmless. Listen: Catathrenia could potentially mask other problems, such as apnea. Groaning happens on exhalation, there are very few nighttime awakenings, and the person will usually feel well rested upon awakening.How common is it to moan in your sleep?
Researchers have reported that between 0.17% and 0.4% of people with sleep problems3 experience the unusual disorder. Because nighttime groaning is so rare, researchers are still investigating the causes and best treatments of the sleep disorder.What is CATATHRENIA? What does CATATHRENIA mean? CATATHRENIA meaning, definition & explanation
Why does my wife moan in her sleep?
When this happens to married couples, women often believe their husbands are having sexual dreams. But this condition actually has a medical name – catathrenia. Catathrenia, or nocturnal groaning, is an uncommon parasomnia characterized by groaning that can last from 2 to 20 seconds.Why do I moan as I fall asleep?
What Is Catathrenia? Catathrenia is the medical term for groaning during sleep. Persons with this condition emit long, sometimes loud groans on exhalation or out-breathing, most commonly during REM or deep sleep. Catathrenia is, in this sense, the opposite of snoring, which occurs on inhalation or in-breathing.How do you get catathrenia?
Causes and Background of CatathreniaIn this study at Stanford, it was noted that 43% of participants had a past history of some sort of parasomnia (such as sleep talking) in childhood, 86% had orthodontic procedures, and 71% had tooth extractions in adolescence.