| Feature | Sleep-related hypermotor seizures | NREM disorders of arousal | REM sleep behavior disorder |
| Age of onset | Variable, typically first or second decade of life | Usually first decade of life | 50 years and older |
| Sleep stage of origin | N1 or N2, sleep-wake transitions | N3 | REM |
| Timing of episodes | Anytime | First third of sleep period | Last third of sleep period |
| Duration of episodes | 5 to 60 seconds | 2 to 30 minutes | Seconds to 2 minutes |
| Frequency of episodes | Nightly clusters | Sporadic, rare clusters | Sporadic, rare clusters |
| Onset and offset | Sudden | Gradual | Sudden |
| Semiology of episodes | Highly stereotyped, hypermotor, asymmetric tonic/dystonic | Not stereotyped, variable complexity | Not highly stereotyped, vocalizations with dream recall, self-protective behaviors |
| Level of consciousness during episodes | Usually preserved | Variable | Poorly responsive |
| Post-event confusion | Typically absent | Present | Absent |
| Risk of injury | Low | High | Moderate |
| Polysomnography with EEG findings | Surface epileptiform activity detected in <50% | Slow wave sleep arousals, rhythmic delta pattern | REM sleep without atonia |
