Log in
What is somnambulism (sleepwalking)?
Somnambulism is a type of parasomnia in which a person gets up and performs somewhat complex actions, such as sitting up, walking around, or running, during sleep, and then falls back asleep. It is characterized by not remembering what happened during the episode later, and is said to occur during non-REM sleep and upon awakening from non-REM sleep.
It is common in childhood (especially in boys) and often disappears with age. It can also be accompanied by sleep terrors, another non-REM sleep-related parasomnia.
Symptoms of somnambulism
During sleep, individuals perform relatively complex actions such as walking around. They may sit and look around, run out, eat things from the refrigerator, try to jump out of a window, or urinate in a closet. They may also repeatedly mumble, or injure themselves on objects in the room or on stairs. Violent or sexual acts may also occur.
These actions are performed in a state of insufficient arousal, and it is believed that even if their eyes are open, they are not conscious of what they are doing. The symptoms last from a few minutes to tens of minutes, after which they fall back asleep. A characteristic feature is that they do not clearly remember what happened during the episode when they wake up in the morning.
Furthermore, during an episode, their eyes may be unfocused, and it may be difficult for others to awaken them with stimulation. If they are awakened with strong stimulation, they may become confused or violent. Therefore, it is preferable to gently guide them back to bed rather than forcibly waking them up.
Causes, countermeasures, and treatments
Since symptoms of somnambulism tend to lessen or disappear with age, it is thought that the cause may be incomplete development or maturation of the brain's nervous system related to sleep and wakefulness. A genetic predisposition is also suggested. Other factors that can trigger somnambulism include sleep deprivation, caffeine, fatigue, physical and mental stress, fever, and excessive exercise.
As a countermeasure, the first step is to eliminate the aforementioned factors to prevent it, but it is also important to reduce the risk of the person injuring themselves.
For example, effective measures include setting an alarm to wake them if they leave the bed or futon, using a low bed, sleeping on the floor, removing dangerous objects around the bed, and sleeping on the first floor. If these measures are insufficient, drug therapy (benzodiazepine administration at bedtime) may also be considered.
