Stalling Sleepwalking
Your child is up again. At eight-years-old, your son always gets up two hours after going to bed. He doesn’t remember a lot of this episode. You realize your son has been sleepwalking.
Sleepwalking or somnambulism is a behavior that occurs during the first part of the night in which the child gets up, walks or does other activities. The child has no memory of this.
Most children who sleepwalk do not have emotional or psychological problems. The sleepwalking usually ceases around the time of puberty. Isolated episodes of sleepwalking are no cause for concern. Consistent episodes of sleepwalking may indicate a sleep disorder.
Causes of sleepwalking may include lack of sleep or extreme fatigue, illness or fever, stress or anxiety, going to bed with a full bladder, noises or touches, changes in sleep environment or different sleep settings, migraines, head injuries, and heredity.
Some symptoms of sleepwalking are sitting up in bed and repeating movements (e.g. rubbing your eyes), clumsy or awkward behavior, looking dazed, being difficult to wake up, talking during their sleep, not responding when spoken to, not remembering the episode the next day and urinating in undesirable places (e.g. a closet).
Interestingly enough, sometimes the sleepwalker will do routine activities such as getting dressed, talking or eating. You can even drive a car in your sleepwalking state.
Sleepwalking is classified as a parasomnia—an undesirable behavior or experience during sleep. It occurs during N3 sleep, the deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Another NREM disorder is sleep terrors, which can occur together with sleepwalking.
Some factors that can increase the likelihood of sleepwalking are genetics (sleepwalking seems to run in families) and age (sleepwalking occurs most often in children than adults).
Complications that happen with sleepwalking are you can hurt yourself or someone else (e.g. fall down a flight of stairs, eat something inappropriate), could experience sleep disruption which can lead to daytime sleepiness and possible school or behavior issues. You can also be embarrassed or experience problems with social relationships. Not to mention disturbing other people’s sleep.
You should consult your doctor if your sleepwalking follows a consistent pattern. For example, the sleepwalker could engage in dangerous behavior that can harm that person or someone else.
It’s good to simply mention to your doctor during your next physical or well-child visit about the sleepwalking. Your doctor may have suggestions for the next time your child sleepwalks like logging each time he falls asleep and sleepwalks so that you can follow the timespan between those two events.
To diagnose sleepwalking, your doctor will review your medical history and symptoms. She may start with a physical to rule out other conditions. She may even recommend that the person participates in a sleep study. In the polysomnography or sleep study, sensors are placed on the body to record and monitor your brain waves, the level of oxygen in your blood, heart rate and breathing, as well as eye and leg movements while you sleep.
Treatment for occasional sleepwalking isn’t necessary. But the more disruptive the sleepwalking is, the more treatment is required. Treatment may include treating an underlying condition, adjusting medication, anticipatory awakenings (waking the person who is sleepwalking 15 minutes before engaging in it), medication, learning self-hypnosis, and therapy or counseling.
Sleepwalking in itself is harmless and doesn’t require any special measures. If your child suffers from this condition, chances are they will outgrow it. The right intervention will do wonders and disrupt this behavior in the long run.
