Sleepwalking is an abnormal behavior in which the person gets up while sleeping and walks or does any activities without being conscious or remembering what happens after waking up. It usually occurs in the first third of the night during the first 3 hours after sleeping. This condition is more common in children and goes away spontaneously when they grow up, but some of them may still have it when they're adults. The incidence of sleepwalking in children is 5% while in adults it’s 1.5% only.
Usually, the affected person can’t remember the actions he has done after walking up.
Sitting up in bed
Walking
Talking while sleeping
Inappropriate behavior
Doing abnormal activities (ex: waking up to eat leftovers, changing the position of objects in the room)
Being difficult to wake up
Going outside
Violence (ex: throwing objects)
Visit a Neurologist to be diagnosed and treated properly, If you or one of your family have any of these symptoms
Causes may include :
Hereditary
Sleep deprivation
Parkinson’s disease
Migraine
Hyperthyroidism
Certain medications (ex : antipsychotics, antidepressants)
The diagnosis depends mainly on the symptoms and detailed medical history.
· Physical examination and laboratory tests : To exclude any other condition causing these symptoms.
· Polysomnography : A type of sleep study in which several parameters such as brain waves, heart rate, and oxygen levels are monitored during sleep to help in diagnosis.
In most cases, there’s no need for treatment as this condition goes away by itself. If the condition is annoying or the patient and the surrounding people are in danger due to violence then it should be treated.
Lifestyle modifications :
Closing the windows and doors
Removing any weapons or objects that can cause harm
Avoid waking the sleepwalker up, just guide him to the bed
Avoid the causes of sleep deprivation
Making regular sleep schedules
Reducing alcohol consumption
Stopping medications that may cause this condition
Scheduled waking : A method that depends on waking up the patient 15-30 min before their usual sleepwalking time.
Learning self-hypnosis : Using methods that help in relaxation to get in a hypnotic state.
Medications : Some medications can help with this condition such as Clonazepam and Gabapentin.
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