Groaning in Your Sleep: What to Bring to a Catathrenia Assessment

A partner says you were groaning in your sleep. You remember sleeping, and their description leaves you unsure what to write on an appointment form. Start with what they heard and what you noticed the next morning.

What does catathrenia describe?

Catathrenia is a sleep-related breathing disorder involving groaning or moaning during exhalation. A sound can last a few seconds or up to 40 seconds. It can occur in REM or non-REM sleep. The sleeper may be unaware of it; someone sharing the room may notice first.¹

A recording can give the appointment a more precise starting point than trying to imitate the sound yourself. Ask the person who heard it to describe the sound in their own words. Keep their observations separate from your recollection.

What belongs in the appointment notes?

Cleveland Clinic¹ advises seeing a healthcare provider about nighttime groaning or poor-quality sleep. Assessment includes a medical history, examination and possibly further tests. An audio recording can help a clinician distinguish groaning from sleep talking or snoring.¹

If you choose to record, agree with anyone sharing the room about what you will capture and how you will store it. Label the recording with its date. Bring a short description alongside it:

• Who heard the sound, and on which nights?
• Did you wake during the episode, or learn about it afterward?
• How did you feel when you woke up?
• What has this changed about sharing the bedroom?

Use an honest estimate if you cannot tell how long an episode lasted. You do not need to provide a diagnosis with the recording.

Does everyone need a sleep study or treatment?

A primary care clinician may refer you to a sleep specialist. An overnight sleep study can monitor brain activity, breathing and other body systems. Catathrenia does not always require treatment. Depending on the assessment, options may include an oral appliance, CPAP or an ear, nose and throat surgical evaluation.¹

Ask which finding supports the proposed option, what it aims to improve and how you will judge whether it helped. Include the effect on both your sleep and the person sharing your room in that conversation.

A shared-bedroom plan

Agree on a simple morning check-in while you arrange the appointment. Each person can describe their own night without making the recording a nightly argument. If you need a temporary change to sleeping arrangements, decide together when to revisit it.

Did I Do That in My Sleep? includes a 14-Night Lights-Out Record, a Visit Brief and the Bedroom Treaty. You can use those tools to organize your observations and the conversation about sharing a room. Bring the notes to your clinician for assessment.