Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder that occurs during the deepest phase of sleep. The person who is sleepwalking may seem to be awake because he moves and has his eyes open, however, he remains asleep and cannot control exactly what he does and usually, when he wakes up, he does not remember anything about what happened.
Sleepwalking has a family factor involved and all the adults who are affected had the onset of symptoms in childhood, around 3 to 7 years old, during the school period.
Sleepwalking usually cures alone, ceasing in adolescence, but for some people episodes may occur later, and it may be necessary to consult a sleep specialist or a psychologist to identify a possible cause and start the most appropriate treatment.
Because it happens
The causes of sleepwalking are not yet fully known, but it is known that it may be related to a certain immaturity of the nervous system, which is why it is more common in children and adolescents.
In addition, sleepwalking also appears to be more frequent in people with some risk factors, such as:
- Do not sleep at least 7 hours a day; Be experiencing a period of great stress; Use some types of medications, especially antidepressants; Have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.
Most of the time the person has few episodes of sleepwalking in life, but when the father, mother or siblings are also affected, the person may have more frequent episodes that last through adulthood.
How to identify a sleepwalker
The person himself will hardly discover that he is sleepwalking, because although he appears to be awake, he remains asleep and is unaware of his actions. Generally it is the other members of the family who discover that there is a sleepwalker inside the house, because they have already found him half-awake sitting, talking or walking around the rooms of the house.
Signs that can help identify a sleepwalker, in addition to walking during sleep, include:
- Talking while sleeping, but unable to answer what is asked directly; Having no memory of what happened when waking up; Having inappropriate behaviors while sleeping, such as urinating in the bedroom; Difficulty waking up during the sleepwalking episode; Being violent when someone tries wake up.
Because he cannot control what he is doing, the person who suffers from sleepwalking can sometimes be dangerous to his own health, as he may end up going out on the street sleeping, or dangerous to the health of others, since he can become violent when trying to be woken up. Thus, the ideal is that the sleepwalker sleeps in a room with the door closed and without dangerous objects.
Normally, special tests are not necessary to confirm a sleepwalking situation, as the sleep specialist can reach the diagnosis only with reports from family or friends.
How to deal with sleepwalking
There is no specific treatment for sleepwalking, so when it is identified that the person suffers from sleepwalking it is important to appreciate their safety, keeping doors and windows properly closed at night, to prevent them from leaving the house alone and protecting the steps or unevenness of the house, to prevent it from falling and being hurt.
In addition, it is not advisable to try to wake the person up during an episode of sleepwalking because this can be difficult and because they can wake up very frightened and it can be difficult to sleep again, for fear or fear that the episode may happen again.
The best way to deal with the situation is to speak calmly to the person and say that it is late, it is time to rest and that they should go back to bed. You can touch her and lovingly take her back to her room, because even though she doesn't wake up, she will be able to fulfill this request and go back to sleep normally.
Check out some other practical tips for dealing with sleepwalking.
