Catathrenia, which refers to loud groaning in sleep, may be a feature of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which can be effectively treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). According to a study conducted at Stanford University of 7 female patients seeking treatment for catathrenia, they were first diagnosed with OSA and later each of the subjects was treated with CPAP, which was both effective at treating OSA as well as Catathrenia. The results suggest that Catathrenia may be related to OSA, not a parasomnia, as it is currently classified by the international classification of Sleep Disorders.
SLEEP vol 32(7); wed July 01, 2009