A Closer Look At Sleepwalking

When most people think about sleepwalkers it conjures up ideas of people slowly walking in a zombie-like trance, arms outstretched like The Mummy, slowly moaning and ambling into the moonlight. Well, minus the menacing moaning and the outstretched arms, people do sleepwalk and they do it without any conscious idea that it’s happening. Although the thought of someone walking in a dream state may seem funny, sleepwalkers can put themselves into some dangerous situations. Sleepwalkers commonly find themselves in rooms of the house they don’t remember walking into or can even wake up miles from their own home, wondering how they got there.

After sleepwalking, many never recall what they actually did and, if they get back into bed, they may never even know it even happened. Some sleepwalkers are known to start cleaning the house or take a walk up the block. Also, contrary to popular belief, sleepwalkers do so with their eyes open. Although, if you’ve encountered someone sleepwalking they’ll have a glazed-over look on their face and don’t seem to be very “present.” Some call this look the “thousand-mile stare.”

Sleepwalkers are also known to act out in some strange and deviant ways whether they’re urinating in closets, exhibiting inappropriate sexual behaviors or, in some instances, driving far, far away from home. Even calm and relatively “normal” folk are known to act completely out of character during a sleepwalking bout.

Sleepwalking is known in the scientific community as somnambulism or noctambulism and happens most frequently during the first third of a night’s sleep and can, on rare occasions, happen during naps. Sleepwalking occurs most frequently in children and affects both sexes equally. About 17% of children sleep walk and it happens most frequently between the ages of 8 and 12. Sleepwalking occurs more often amongst identical twins and people with a first-degree relative that sleepwalks.

It is a common misconception that people who sleepwalk are dreaming. Sleepwalking is a “partial arousal” disorder, in which a person is neither fully asleep nor completely awake. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep but sleepwalking usually happens during slow-wave sleep. Slow-wave sleep, often referred to as deep sleep, consists of three to four stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep. Children spend more time in slow-wave sleep than adults so they tend to sleepwalk more often.

Sleepwalking is commonly caused by sleep deprivation and as the result of a chaotic sleep schedule. Magnesium deficiency, alcohol intoxication, fever and stress can also trigger people to start walking in the middle of the night. The popular prescription sleep aid, Ambien, has been linked to numerous incidents of sleepwalking, sleep driving and even sleep binge eating. Ambien has also been known to cause late-night unconscious purchases over the Internet and incidences of shoplifting. The Food and Drug Administration has said that reports made to the FDA by doctors show that Ambien is associated with more sleepwalking incidents than all other sleep aids combined.

If you’re a sleepwalker or live with one, here are some tips to keep them safe:

- If the sleepwalker is a child who shares a room, never put them on the top bunk. The child could easily fall off the bed during a sleepwalking episode.
- Don’t wake someone if you find them sleepwalking. Instead, talk to them in a soothing, calm voice and lead them back into bed. Waking them up could frighten them terribly.
- Sleepwalkers should be sure not to drink too much liquid before going to bed. The urge to urinate could encourage sleepwalking.
- Keep windows and doors shut and locked before going to bed.
- Put up a safety gate if the sleepwalker sleeps upstairs to be sure they don’t take a tumble and risk serious injury during the night.