What is Sleepwalking - Meaning, Symptoms, Causes, Risks & Treatment

Have you ever found yourself sleeping at a certain place and walking at another? Then probably you are sleepwalking. It is a sleep disorder that can not only affect the quality of your life but also is a threat to your safety.

If interested in reading a detailed discussion about what sleepwalking is, its symptoms, causes, and how to cure it, then stick to this piece. We have given every information in brief!

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What Is Sleepwalking?

Mostly prevalent in small children, sleepwalking is a sleeping disorder that causes the victim to make regular body movements like sitting up, standing, or even walking while remaining in a deep sleep. It occurs in the non rapid eye movement part of sleep, usually within an hour or two of falling asleep.

A study on sleepwalking reveals an approximate 6.9% of the overall population experience sleepwalking at least once in their lifetime. Also known as somnambulism, sleepwalking can be genetic, triggered by medications or bad mental episodes.

The precise meaning of sleepwalking is the saddle point situation between a medically defined sleep and wakefulness. It can also trigger conversations while asleep, abrupt periods of confusion or sleep terror.

What Are the Symptoms of Sleepwalking?

There are several symptoms of sleepwalking or somnambulism. Some include:

Waking up suddenly and creeping around the room while in deep slumber.
Not responding even when spoken to in their deep-sleep state or making nonsensical responses.
Exhibiting awkward behaviour like waking up with confusion.
Doing routine actions like moving furniture or urinating inappropriately (only common in extreme cases and These symptoms may last from a few seconds to nearly an hour).
Waking up with eyes wide awake while remaining in a deep sleep.
Engaging in sexual behaviour, also known as sexsomnia.

The person showing these above symptoms may not remember any of their NREM episodes of sleepwalking or other parasomnias.

What Are the Causes of Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a phenomenon that occurs when certain factors trigger physical activity when the person is in a deep sleep. Here are some causes of sleepwalking:

Stress or Traumatic Situations: Stressful situations can also cause sleepwalking. Children undergo sleepwalking episodes, particularly during examinations or after heated verbal episodes at home. Although regular exercise and practising mindfulness help provide relief, stress from traumatic situations during childhood can be even worse.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): An occasional urge to move the hands or legs during deep sleep may cause arousal and eventual sleepwalking. RLS can be triggered by experiencing a bad dream or sleep deprivation.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Sometimes, persons having breathing difficulties may enter sleepwalking episodes caused by frequent sleep interruptions. They may undergo several short lapses when their air channel gets blocked.
Sleep Deprivation: When people do not get enough sleep, they become vulnerable to sleepwalking.
Fever: Sleepwalking has been directly associated with fever, mostly in kids. In addition to sleepwalking, it can also trigger night terrors, which include screaming and thrashing arms in sleep.
GERD: GERD is a condition of the stomach in which the acidic contents flow back up to your oesophagus. This creates an uncomfortable sleeping situation causing you to sleepwalk.

Who Is at Risk of Suffering From Sleepwalking?

The following are some factors adding to the risk of sleepwalking:

Genetic Causes: Neuro-science states that chromosome 20 is responsible for the occurrence of sleepwalking traits. This faulty DNA structure contains a 50% chance of carrying over the responsible traits. Although identifying these genes is difficult, scientists believe that it will decrease the occurrence of sleepwalking by 50%.
Alcohol: Intake of certain substances like alcohol may trigger sleepwalking. Alcohol may cause instability and develop digestive complications leading to sleepwalking episodes.
Medications: Taking medicines with a sedative side-effect increases the risk of sleepwalking when the person is deep asleep.

How Is Sleepwalking Diagnosed?

Normally you will not require to get your condition diagnosed as the behaviour is itself conclusive. However, the doctors might suggest a physical exam to rule out the causes of sleepwalking behaviour. The doctors will ask you about the events in detail in the exam.

Certain conditions like nocturnal frontal epilepsy or REM sleep behaviour disorder may be confused with sleepwalking.

So, doctors may suggest sleeping at the lab during which they carry a polysomnogram. It is a process that helps measure different workings of your organs, like breathing, heart rate, oxygen level, etc.

What Is the Treatment for Sleepwalking?

Preventing any form of injury during a sleepwalking episode is crucial. Moreover, children or adults having such seizures should not sleep alone to avoid unfavourable circumstances. Instead, the person accompanying them should try to wake them up and guide them to bed.

Making scheduled awakenings is the first step to treating sleepwalking. The other treatment for sleepwalking include:

Disturbance between Sleep: Persons accompanying those having sleepwalking episodes should record the time between going to sleep and having such episodes. Doctors recommend disturbing the victim’s sleep roughly 15 minutes before sleepwalking normally begins. This disturbs the sleep cycle and may stop such occurrences.
Music Therapy: Soothing music aids in sleeping and improving its quality. Regularly incorporating music into one’s everyday schedule before sleeping can reduce the time required to sleep. In addition, music sends electric impulses into the brain, which triggers several bodily functions that promote sleep or reduce sleep interference.
Treatment of Underlying Causes: Treatment of underlying sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea can reduce the chances of sleepwalking. Doctors may prescribe specific medications for treating these ailments.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: It is a form of sleep therapy that reduces negative thoughts through a conversation. Like insomnia, CBT can also demonstrate outstanding effectiveness for sleepwalking. Persons can have depressed thoughts from childhood trauma or the loss of someone close. Having a conversation on an eventual closure of such events may help treat sleepwalking.
Medication: Frequent occurrences of sleepwalking episodes may require medical attention. The prescribed medicines like benzodiazepines and antidepressants help calm the sleepwalker’s mind and refresh their sleep schedule. Medicines continuing melatonin can help bring down stress levels.

How to Prevent Sleepwalking?

Though there is no way one can prevent sleepwalking, you can reduce the risk of developing it through the following methods:

Limiting your stress by adopting healthy habits like exercising and meditation.
Getting enough sleep at night.
Avoiding any kind of loud/harsh auditory or visual stimulation before sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Is it safe to awaken a person during sleepwalking?

Doctors believe that a sudden jerk in their sleep cycle followed by awakening may confuse the sleepwalker. Instead, you can guide them away from potential causes of harm and into bed. A soothing voice or music helps them get asleep faster.

When should you see a doctor to treat sleepwalking?

If there are frequent occurrences of sleepwalking, visit doctor for a check-up. Sometimes sleepwalking may lead to violent behaviour, exhibit daytime symptoms of sleepiness, or undergo long periods of prolonged sleepwalking. Such cases require immediate doctor’s consultation.