Sleepwalking Information

Somnambulism

Sleep walking usually occurs not during normal dreaming but during the deepest NREM sleep. It is sometimes associated with night terrors which also occur at this stage of the sleep cycle.

Children sleepwalk more often than adults, possibly because they spend more of the night in deep NREM sleep. They usually grow out of it. However if sleepwalking begins in adult life then the disorder is likely to remain.

Sleepwalkers are usually unaware of their activity the next morning. They may get up during the night, walk around then either return to bed or go to sleep somewhere else and retain no memory of their activities. There have even been reported cases of sleep walkers dressing and eating!

Sleep walking per se is not dangerous unless indicative of a medical condition, however the unaware sleepwalker could endanger themselves and/or others.

What Causes Sleepwalking?

Sleep walking is a sleep disorder, by definition a disturbance of the normal sleep cycle. As such it can be exacerbated by anything that disturbs a good night's sleep - stress, fatigue, lifestyle factors, etc.

That said, some people are more susceptible to sleep walking episodes than others. Recent research (1) suggests a genetic component to this increased susceptibility.

Your first course of action should be to consult your doctor or a qualified sleep therapist for diagnosis and to see if treatment is indicated.

Is It Dangerous to Wake a Sleepwalker?

Waking a sleepwalker can be surprisingly dificult. They usually won't won't notice you or hear what you say, there's no point talking to them. If you do manage to wake them they will probably be confused, occasionally hysterical, and usually unhappy at being woken up.

So waking a sleepwalker is probably not dangerous in itself but inadvisable.

The best way of dealing with a sleepwalker is often simply to gently guide them with a soft touch to prevent them from moving into situations that might cause harm. If possible, gradually manoeuvre the sleepwaker back towards the bed.

Can Sleepwalking be Cured?

Instead of trying to prevent sleepwalking, reaction to the syndrome is often focussed on preventing the walker coming to any serious harm. If you or your partner regularly walk in your sleep then ensure that things in the home are left tidy, dangerous knives etc are locked away and that potential causes of accidents are minimised.

In particular you might consider putting the sleepwalker's bedroom on the ground floor and/or locking the windows. Above all else, ensure that all exits from the home are locked and the keys placed so that they will not be easily accessible to the sleepwalker but will still be available quickly in the event of a fire or other emergency. Do not lock someone in a room on their own, in case of fire.

If a person's sleep walking looks like it might endanger health then seek professional advice immediately.