Sleepwalking

Have you ever gone walkabout in your sleep? Find out what you can do about this condition

Sleepwalking is one of a group of sleep disorders known technically as Partial-arousal parasomnias.

It has been estimated that over 10% of people will experience at least one episode of sleepwalking during their lives.

Sleepwalking is fairly common among children. It is estimated that up to 20% of children sleepwalk occasionally, growing out of it by adolescence.

What is sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is not an illness but a disorder characterised by walking or doing activities while still generally asleep.

The cause of sleepwalking is not known but the disorder can be triggered by lack of sleep or psychological factors.

Children who sleepwalk generally don't have emotional problems but may be anxious about something.

On the other hand, sleepwalking in adults is more likely to be linked to mental illness, a reaction to drugs or alcohol, or epilepsy with partial complex seizures.

Symptoms

People who sleepwalk generally have the following characteristics:

• They are hard to wake
• Their eyes may be open but they may look dazed and unaware of their surroundings
• They may sit up in bed and then wander around the room
• They may also speak incoherently
• They may do repetitive things like switching lights on and off
• They don't remember anything the next morning

Can you treat it?

If you are prone to sleepwalking then there appears to be no simple cure.

Instead of trying to prevent sleepwalking, reaction to the syndrome is often focused on preventing the walker coming to any serious harm.

A sleepwalker should be guided gently back to bed and should not be woken up.

It's not unknown for sleepwalkers to turn on appliances such as cookers, so it may be necessary to take precautions to protect them or others from injury.

You may need to lock doors and windows, or lock away sharp objects, like knives and tools.