Sleep Walking

Sleepwalking is the phenomenon whereby a person’s brain is partially asleep but his body is able to move about. People suffering from sleepwalking will rise out of what seems to be deep sleep and behave as if they are awake. They do not normally respond to people around them and do not remember what happened the following day.

Initially it was believed that sleepwalkers are dreaming but this was disproved by scientists who found out that sleepwalking occurs during the stage of deep sleep and not rapid eye movement sleep when dreams occur. Sleepwalking usually occur about one to two hours after going to sleep and most incidents last less than fifteen minutes. Some extreme cases can go on for an hour or more.

Sleepwalking is most prevalent in children from ages five to twelve, with about 15 percent of these kids walking in their sleep at least once. About 4 percent of these children have more frequent occurrences of sleepwalking. Treatment for children who sleepwalk are usually not necessary as they will eventually outgrow it. During the sleepwalk, parents should be gentle with the child and use assuring and comforting statements to guide the child back to bed.

Though adult sleepwalking is basically the same behavior, linked with the same mechanism of partial arousal, it is not always as benign and innocent. It is more often associated with physical harm, because not only are adults larger and stronger, but also adult somnambulism tends to be more aggressive and adventurous. In addition, though adult sleepwalking is not necessarily a sign of an abnormal psychological state, there is more of an association with abnormal psychology.

Sleepwalking usually happens when the patient has become very sleep deprived. What is known is that any factor causing an increase in heavy sleep will increase the chances of a sleepwalking incident. Heavy alcohol intake, excessive physical exertion or extreme fatigue increases the need for deep sleep, the stage associated with sleepwalking. Adults who sleepwalk have usually developed their pattern of abnormal sleep after age ten, and it usually lasts for years. Some adults show aggressive behavior or anger during their sleepwalking episodes (it is unusual for children to do so) and, if so, psychological problems are more common.  

Most incidents of sleepwalking end with the sleepwalker returning to his bed and going back to sleep, oblivious to what has happened. However, a small number of sleepwalkers end up with injuries when they trip and fall or they meet with some accident such as walking through a glass door. There are a few occasions where sleepwalkers committed crimes such as assaulting someone and even murder. 

Most sleepwalkers do not harm others, but they run the risk of harming themselves. This risk is especially high if, they are in an unfamiliar environment. It's as if the sleepwalker has "memorized" the layout of his usual bedroom and house and is able to navigate safely around within that memory. Unfortunately, sleepwalking episodes often occur when people are away from home and cannot rely on memory. They fall off balconies, down stairwells, over furniture, into swimming pools, etc.