How Common is Sleepwalking?

A sleep disorder known as sleepwalking is characterised by an individual’s tendency to move around or participate in odd or unexpected activities while they are asleep. This ailment is common in families, and most people eventually outgrow it.

In medical parlance, sleepwalking is referred to as somnambulism. This term originates from Latin words that imply “sleep” and “walking.” According to professionals, it is a sleep disorder known as parasomnia.

How Common is Sleepwalking?

Some seven per cent of people will experience sleepwalking at some point in their lives. The majority of people can emerge from the habit of sleepwalking by the time they reach adulthood. Sleepwalking typically begins in infancy. Five per cent to fifteen per cent of children, typically between the ages of four and eight, and one per cent to one and a half per cent of adults develop sleepwalking within a year.

What Causes of Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a phenomenon that experts are unable to explain. At least for the time being, genetics continues to be the sole plausible cause of sleepwalking that experts can pinpoint with any degree of certainty. There is a higher probability that children of sleepwalkers will also sleepwalk. If a parent has a history of sleepwalking, there is a 47 per cent risk that their child will also engage in this behaviour. If both of the parents have a history of sleepwalking, then the percentage increases to 62%.

How is Sleepwalking Diagnosed?

When you describe what you did or how you behaved during sleepwalking, a healthcare expert will typically be able to diagnose sleepwalking more accurately. A diagnosis of sleepwalking can be made with the assistance of valuable information that can be provided by loved ones who have witnessed the behaviour of sleepwalking. As sleepwalking does not occur every night, it might be difficult to record it in a sleep study. Videos that you take on your phone or on a security system can also be helpful in this process.

To prove sleepwalking, the most reliable medical test is a comprehensive sleep study, also known as polysomnography. On the other hand, things aren’t usually required. If any of the following conditions are met, your healthcare provider (or the provider of your kid) may suggest that you do a sleep study:

Medications of Sleepwalking

When it comes to sleepwalking, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has not approved any medications. Drugs that modify neurotransmitter levels may be recommended by a provider in some circumstances, even though there is no evidence to suggest that these treatments are effective. To transmit messages and control processes throughout the nervous system, your brain makes use of substances known as neurotransmitters. Medications that can affect neurotransmitters include:

• Gabapentin
• Antidepressants

There are possible benefits and hazards associated with every medicine, regardless of whether it is available over the counter or with a prescription. A physician is in the best position to decide whether or not a medication is appropriate for a particular individual’s circumstances.

Is it Safe to Wake a Person Who is Sleeping?

It is generally recommended by the majority of specialists that individuals who are in the midst of a sleepwalking episode should avoid startling awakenings. A jolting awakening may cause them to feel dread, uncertainty, or rage since they are unaware of the circumstances in which they find themselves.

If it is feasible, you can make an effort to gently lead a person who is sleepwalking away from potential hazards and back to bed. It could be helpful to direct them with a voice that is soft and soothing, and with a touch that is at most light.