What You Should Know About Sleepwalking

There are some people who have problems with their sleep. Some have insomnia, narcolepsy, snoring, and some other have sleepwalking which is also known as somnambulism and noctambulism.

Sleepwalking, although it is not always harmless, it can also be very dangerous.

Sleepwalkers walk in their sleep. Or, they even do other actions as if they are awake such as taking a shower, eating. And, sometimes they can get out of the house. This is the dangerous part, especially because they cannot control their actions. Some sleepwalkers might also carry a knife or worst, walk in the nude.

If you see someone walking on his/her sleep, you’d better take him/her back to bed or wake him/her up gently. Most sleepwalkers would not remember what they did while sleeping. So, it would be wise not to make fun of them after they wake up.

What actually is the cause of this sleeping disorder?

In children, sleepwalking might be a result of fatigue, prior sleep loss, or anxiety. In adults, it is normally related to over tiredness, mind disorder, reactions to drugs and alcohol, or certain medical conditions. In aged people, it could be a symptom of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) behavior disorders or an organic brain syndrome.

It may also be genetic. Sleepwalking parents often have sleepwalking kids.

Here are some tips that you can try to avoid sleepwalking:

• Relax at bedtime by listening to soft music or relaxation tapes. Since one of the causes of sleepwalking is stress, it would be best for sleepwalker to try to get as relaxed as possible before going to bed.

• Have a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Regular sleeping helps sleepwalker learn the rhythm of sleep. This can help preventing them from walking on their sleep.

• Make sure there is no noise that might sound annoying to you while you try to close your eyes.

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• Avoid alcohol or drugs before going to bed for those are also causes of sleepwalking.

It has been projected that 10 percent of all people will experience sleep walking at some time in their life! So, make sure that you are not one of those 10 percent by trying those above tips.

What Is Sleepwalking – Part 1

SLEEPWALKING DEFINED

Sleepwalking is a sleeping disorder characterized by behavior usually performed in a wakeful state. Examples of wakeful behavior are sitting up, walking, and sometimes even talking to others. Also known as noctambulism or somnambulism, sleepwalking is listed in the DSM-IV-TR and identified as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Although incidents of sleepwalking are used by professionals to determine a mental disorder, it is not classified or identified as an emotional problem. It is instead defined as a brain disorder.

During an episode, the sleepwalker behaves according to whatever he or she is dreaming about. Eyes may be open, but they do not acknowledge events, people, or objects around them. This phenomenon typically begins as a sleepwalker experiences stage four sleep (slow-wave sleep). Yet upon waking, they may remember a little of the event, or none at all with the entire episode lasting for only a few minutes or more. Despite myths and warnings, there is no harm in waking a sleepwalker. Awakened sleepwalkers will appear a little disoriented and confused about where they are, how they got there, and why – but they can return to bed easily with little to no fuss.

SLEEPWALKING STATISTICS

Sleepwalking rarely occurs in individuals who don’t already suffer from some other psychiatric disorder or problem. But when it does occur, it occurs in more males than females, and only in 1 – 5% of children. By the time sleepwalking children reach the teen years, sleepwalking usually stops on it own without medication, diet change, or behavior modification. Chances are that there is a history of sleepwalking somewhere in the family of frequent and persistent sleepwalkers, and the number of sleepwalking adults is less than the number of sleepwalking children.

WHAT CAUSES SLEEPWALKING

Anything that affects the nervous system can be blamed for sleepwalking, and that includes consumption anti-depressants or sleeping pills, a severe illness, and the experience of extreme emotional stress such as a death or a frightening event. Hormones may contribute to sleepwalking episodes as well so events that cause drastic hormonal changes (adolescence, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, etc.) could play a role in triggering sleepwalking episodes too. There are no known foods that trigger sleepwalking.

HOW TO CURE SLEEPWAKING

Unless sleepwalking is a regular occurrence and it places its victims in danger, there’s no need to seek medical attention. When sleepwalking happens repeatedly or puts the sleepwalker in harm, a physician may prescribe benzodiazepines to keep the patient in bed. Benzodiazepines are lipophilic amines and they’re used as tranquilizers, sedatives, hypnotics, or musclerelaxants. Some well known brands are Ativan, Halcion, Libritabs, Librium, ProSom, Restoril, Valium, Versed, or Xanax,

SLEEPWALKING DANGERS

The physical dangers of sleepwalking are pretty obvious, however besides risking bodily harm or even death, sleepwalking individuals actually lose a lot of sleep since a portion of their sleeping time is spent in activity. As a result, they may experience fatigue during the daytime and will more than likely experience insomnia during the nights that they slept during the day.

Sleepwalking treatments – Part 1

Once you have determined that your child or loved one is experiencing episodes of sleepwalking,you must then determine what level of treatment is needed. There are varying degrees of severity in people who suffer from sleepwalking and often sleepwalkers require no medical intervention for their disorder. Safety of the sleepwalker and those living with the sleepwalker is of the upmost priority and should be addressed first and foremost. After the environment of the sleepwalker is safe, you can then determine if further assistance is required and seek medical help if necessary.

Safety

Someone who sleepwalks should always sleep on the first floor of their home. This eliminates the possibility of them having a fall.

The windows should always be locked and covered with curtains to limit access or make it more difficult of the sleepwalker to access them.

The outside doors of the home should be locked at night to prevent them from leaving.

Clear the floor of the home from any sharp or dangerous objects. Additionally, keep chemicals and other harmful objects tucked away out of reach.

Medical Intervention

Rarely, a person may require medical intervention for their sleepwalking. if a person sleepwalks frequently, becomes violent, injures themselves often or is generally disturbing the household you may want to consult a physician. Medical treatment for sleepwalkers can range from behavior related therapy or hypnosis to prescription drugs. Doctors may prefer a combination to determine what works most effectively for the patient.

The most important thing to remember is that sleepwalking can be embarrassing for the person doing it. Sleepwalkers can not control their own behavior. Sleepwalking is an involuntary action and it is not indicative of any mental illness.

Sleepwalking treatments – Part 7

Some sleepwalkers sense that they may be walking at night but they are not certain until they notice mysterious bruises on their bodies that occurred from running into things while they were up sleepwalking. It is often a person who lives with them who alerts the sleepwalker to his or her behavior.

Behavior can range from getting out of bed and walking around the room to going out and driving a car. There have been several cases where a person has killed and claimed to have been sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is not a mental disorder and should not be treated as one.

Sleepwalking usually occurs during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage of sleep. This is the stage of sleep in which eye movement does not take place. Persons affected with this disorder will usually have their eyes wide open in a stare. The person is usually unable to respond and does not remember the incident. In some cases, the person will talk incoherently.

If sleepwalking is caused by underlying medical conditions, the underlying medical condition should be treated. Medications for treatment may be necessary in the following situations:

1) If the possibility of injury is great

2) If the behaviors are causing family disruption

3) If excessive daytime sleepiness occurs

4) If other measures have proved to be ineffective

Benzodiazepines or tricyclic anti-depressants, such as trazodone (Desyrel), have been shown to be useful. Klonopin in low doses have been effective. Medication can often be discontinued after 3-5 weeks without recurrence of symptoms. Occasionally, the frequency of episodes increases briefly after discontinuing the medication.

Relaxation techniques, mental imagery, and anticipatory awakenings are preferred treatments of choice. Relaxation and mental imagery should be done with the help of an experienced behavioral therapist. Anticipatory awakening is to wake the person approximately 20 minutes before the usual time of occurrence, keeping the person awake during which time the episode would normally occur.

The following measures can be taken by a person who has a sleepwalking disorder to try to prevent the severity of the occurrences:

1) Get adequate sleep

2) Meditate or do relaxation exercises

3) Keep a safe sleeping environment ,free from harm and sharp objects

4) Lock doors and windows

5) Remove obstacles in the room

6) Place an alarm or bell on the door

Sleepwalking treatments – Part 10

Sleepwalking is more common than one might think. It occurs during the REM, or rapid eye movement stage of sleep. The sleepwalker will have their eyes open with a glassy stare, and usually have a destination. They do not tend to ramble. They may talk in addition to sleepwalking.

The treatment for sleepwalking is to treat the underlying cause. They may suffer from anxiety, restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, stress, or any number of causes that can be treated.

Sleepwalking may be due to central or obstructive sleep apnea, in which case the sleeper should ask their doctor to refer them to a sleep center for evaluation. If this is the cause, certain medications or a CPAP or BiPAP may be prescribed.

If the problem is stress, this can be treated with drugs such as Klonopin or Trazadone. There are medications now for restless leg syndrome, although fibromyalgia remains a mystery in general; the chronic pain experienced can be treated.