Things You Should Know About Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking can be very disturbing.

Imagine going to sleep at night and getting up in completely different place or you might wake up in your own bed, but your family members tell tales of you walking and talking to them.

You have no recollection of the events when you wake up. Doesn’t it sound spooky?

Approximately 10% of the population has bouts of sleepwalking, many of them children. Sleep walking is also known as somnambulism. Often, it is during the deep sleep phase, sleepwalking occurs.

The common belief that you should not wake sleepwalkers is dangerous. Actually, if you do not wake them, they have a great potential of hurting themselves or the people around them.

Causes of Sleep Walking

• Lack of sleep is the biggest factor that causes sleep walking. A person’s consciousness is affected when that person is deprived of sleep.
• Stress, anxiety and worrying about something can kick off episodes of sleepwalking.
• Extreme fatigue can also play a factor in the cause.
• Sleeping disorders and other health conditions can contribute to this event. For example, kids with asthma and sleep apnea are more prone to sleepwalking than others because their conditions are not always conducive to a good night’s sleep and rest.
• Various medications and even imbibing alcohol are issues that play into a sleepwalking event.

Symptoms of Sleep Walking

Some people are unsure about the symptoms of sleepwalking and whether they or a loved one could be suffering from it. Sleepwalkers often appear awake.

• If you are unsure if a loved one is actually sleepwalking, look into their eyes. If they stare absently and don’t see you or track your movements with their eyes, chances are that they are indeed sleepwalking.
• Aggressive behavior toward a person trying to waken a sleepwalker is another symptom and also plays into that myth about it being dangerous to awaken sleepwalkers. It is especially vital to wake up a sleepwalker if they are showing signs of wanting to go outside or even perform certain tasks that can prove harmful if asleep like cooking or using power tools.
• Weird or uncharacteristic behavior is another symptom of sleepwalking. Talking or mumbling is common in sleepwalkers as is disorientation or confusion if awakened suddenly.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis can be fairly simple for sleepwalking, particularly if other people witness this behavior. Other family members are generally the ones corroborating stories to the fact that sleepwalking is happening.

Diagnosis is harder to determine if you live alone, so sometimes a sleep study is performed. In addition, your doctor may perform some tests to find if any medical conditions may be contributing to your little unconscious nighttime forays.

Sleepwalking Treatment

Sleepwalking treatment comes in many forms and depends on what is determined as the primary cause. For some people, sleepwalking can be draining over the course of time.

A doctor might prescribe tranquilizers to keep you from getting up in your sleep when sleepwalking interferes in your daily, awake life. Sometimes, sleepwalking can be treated using hypnosis.

Your doctor must have ruled out other biological causes before resorting to tranquilizer and hypnosis treatments. Indulging in a little aromatherapy or a leisurely bath helps with relaxation too.

Keeping the same routine every night helps your body relax, degree by degree. Going to bed at the same time every night, nixing stimulants like cigarettes and caffeine and even reading a book or story to your child all play a part in a harmonious bed time ritual.

Since sleepwalking is the end result of not getting enough sleep or rest, finding a bed time routine that is consistent just might be helpful in avoiding another late night, unknowing reconnaissance mission.

Sleepwalking, for the most part, is not serious and usually goes away on its own. If it doesn’t however, it is important that you see a medical professional about your sleepwalking problem.

Steps for Avoiding Injury

The following are steps to be followed for avoiding injury.

• One action you can take is to get more rest and sleep.
• Another thing you can do is clear harmful obstacles from the sleepwalker’s path in order to avoid injury.
• Removing stove knobs, putting sharp objects like scissors and knives away and childproofing the stairway with a baby gate might help keep your sleepwalking child out of harm’s way.
• Door chains placed higher than their head is recommended to avoid wandering off outside, particularly if a child is the sleepwalker.