Sleepwalking — also known as
somnambulism
— involves getting up and walking around while in a state of sleep. More common in children than adults, sleepwalking is usually outgrown by the teen years. Isolated incidents of sleepwalking often don’t signal any serious problems or require treatment.
What causes sleepwalking in adults?
But not everyone stops sleepwalking once they’re adults. Sleepwalking often runs in families. It can also be caused by
stress, sleep deprivation, certain medications, breathing disorders, neurological conditions, stress, fever, and migraine
.
What causes people to sleepwalk?
Causes of sleepwalking include: Hereditary (the condition may run in families).
Lack of sleep or extreme fatigue
. Interrupted sleep or unproductive sleep, from disorders like sleep apnea (brief pauses in the child’s breathing pattern during sleep).
What happens when someone sleepwalks?
Actions during sleepwalking episodes may
bring embarrassment
. For example, a person may feel ashamed about sexually explicit behavior, aggressive outbursts, or urinating in the wrong place. Studies have found that people who sleepwalk have higher levels of excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia symptoms.
How long can a person sleepwalk?
Most sleepwalking episodes
last less than 10 minutes, but they can be longer
. At the end of each episode, the person may wake up, or return to bed and go to sleep. They won’t normally have any memory of it in the morning or may have patchy memory.
Can Sleepwalkers see you?
Sleepwalkers’ eyes are open, but
they don’t see the same way they do when they
‘re awake. They’ll often think they’re in different rooms of the house or different places altogether. Sleepwalkers tend to go back to bed on their own and they won’t remember what happened in the morning.
Can a sleepwalker talk to you?
It usually happens when you’re going from a deep stage of sleep to a lighter stage or coming awake.
You can’t respond while you’re sleepwalking
and usually don’t remember it. In some cases, you may talk and not make sense. Sleepwalking mostly happens to children, usually between the ages of 4 and 8.
How do you treat sleepwalking?
- Make the environment safe. …
- Gently lead the person
sleepwalking
to bed. … - Get adequate sleep. …
- Establish a regular, relaxing routine before bedtime. …
- Put stress in its place. …
- Look for a pattern. …
- Avoid alcohol.
How do I know if Im sleepwalking?
Have a glazed, glassy-eyed expression
.
Not respond or communicate with others
.
Be difficult to wake up during an episode
.
Be disoriented or confused
for a short time after being awakened.
Is it bad to wake up a sleepwalker?
It is not dangerous to wake up a patient form sleepwalking
, but experts who discourage it quote it is unsuccessful and leads to patient disorientation,” he says. “Try to ease them back to bed without making forceful attempts. … Other factors can cause sleepwalking such as sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorders.
Can depression cause sleepwalking?
The study also showed that
people with depression were 3.5 times more likely to sleepwalk than those without
, and people dependent on alcohol or who had obsessive-compulsive disorder were also significantly more likely to have sleepwalking episodes.
Why shouldn’t you wake up sleep talkers?
If sleep talking bothers a bed partner or roommate,
it may interrupt their sleep and contribute to problems
like insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. If the content of sleep talking is embarrassing, it may create awkwardness or stress between the person talking in their sleep and their bed partner.
How do I stop my child from sleepwalking?
- Go to bed at the same time every night.
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a warm bath or listening to soothing music.
- Create a dark, quiet, and comfortable sleep environment for your child.
- Lower the temperature in your child’s bedroom to less than 75°F (24°C).
Can you sleep walk while dreaming?
Contrary to popular belief, sleepwalkers don’t act out their dreams.
Sleepwalking doesn’t take place during the dreaming stage of sleep
. Sleepwalking is also called somnambulism.
What happens if you touch a sleepwalker?
When startled, the
sleepwalker will act out in a manner like a fight or flight response
. They may lash out or fall, which could injure them or the person waking them. According to Wright, it is best to gently encourage or lead a sleepwalker back to bed and let them get on with their night’s rest.
Is it bad to talk sleepwalking?
Both sleepwalking and sleep talking can happen for many reasons. Sometimes they are symptoms of a mental health condition, and both may
cause psychological distress
and interfere with relationships, work, and even overall life satisfaction.
