Sleepwalking

Somnambulism (colloquially sleepwalking) is a disorder involving the appearance of automatic physical activity during sleep. Sometimes sleepwalking is limited to sitting on the bed, but usually also includes everyday activities such as talking, walking, getting dressed and preparing meals. There are known cases of advanced and long-lasting episodes, during which the sleepwalker was driving a car, attempting to leave the window, etc. from the episode period. Sleepwalking usually begins at the peak of slow wave sleep (NREM), an hour or two after falling asleep.

Sleepwalking – causes

The etiology of the disorder is not fully known. For the causes of sleepwalking the most common are genetic factors – frequent occurrences sleepwalking in the family, developmental conditions, excessive consumption alcohol, the use of psychoactive substances, the consumption of beverages containing large amounts of caffeine and heavy meals, especially in the afternoon, irregular hours of falling asleep, lack of sleep and severe, permanent stress. One of the hypotheses explaining where it comes from sleepwalking, talks about the malfunction of serotonergic neurons, which are responsible for the process of falling asleep and waking up. This may be due to, inter alia, increase in blood acidity resulting from poor breathing.

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Sleepwalking – treatment

The first step in taking treatment should exclude the organic causes of the disorder – dementia, epilepsy, neurosis, etc. It was noted that sleepwalking it often coexists with breathing disorders during sleep – e.g. overgrown tonsils, obstructive sleep apnea or curvature of the nasal septum. In order to eliminate such factors, consult an ENT specialist.

W treatment of sleepwalking various types of relaxation techniques are used and work is being done to reduce the depth of sleep. In order to minimize stress, it is also recommended to lead a healthy lifestyle. In the pharmacotherapy of sleepwalking drugs from the benzodiazepine group (diazepam, oxazepam, clonazepam) are used, but this type of treatment is used very rarely and should be treated as an emergency. It is also important to protect sleepwalker against possible injuries.

Sleepwalking with your eyes open

It is true that sleepwalkers during their sleepy activities, they most often have open eyes. This partially protects them from the obstacles they encounter, but despite this, they are unable to avoid some injuries. Due to the fact that sleepwalkers they move relatively freely and have open eyes, most people try to connect with them.

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It is a myth that awakening sleepwalking it is dangerous and causes aggression. The worst we expose sleepwalker, it’s confusion and embarrassment, the best – protection against an accident. However, if possible, it should be brought in sleepwalking to bed and let him wake up at his own pace.

Sleepwalking in children

Sleepwalking in children it appears relatively often, reaching even a dozen or so percent. However, with age symptoms they resolve until they reach about 1 percent in adults.

To minimize the risk sleepwalking, it should be properly cared for sleep hygiene child. Make sure that the dinner is easy to digest, do not give your child caffeinated drinks, make sure that your child is relaxed and calm before going to bed, and put them to bed at the right time. In addition, it is important to secure windows, doors and stairs and remove all unnecessary items from the floor that may cause a trip, fall or injury.

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