What is sleepwalking?
Sleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when the affected person walks or performs another activity while asleep. The normal sleep cycle is composed of stages that develop from mild drowsiness to deep sleep.
The different sleep cycles are divided into non-REM (out-of-sync) and REM. Sleepwalking occurs most frequently during the first cycle, non-REM and in the first hours of sleep.
Sleepwalking is more common in children than in adults, as sleep decreases with age. Moreover, sleepwalking tends to run in families.
Prognosis of the disease
Sleepwalking is not a serious disease as long as the person is not in danger or a threat to the people around him or her. It is a pathology that usually decreases over the years and does not indicate a serious disorder, although it may be a symptom of other diseases.
It will be necessary to consult a specialist if the patient presents other symptoms, suffers frequent or persistent sleepwalking and performs dangerous activities such as driving while asleep.
Symptoms of sleepwalking
A patient with sleepwalking may act as if he or she is awake when he or she is not. They may get up and walk around or perform complex activities such as moving furniture, going to the bathroom, and getting dressed. Some people may even drive a car while asleep.
The duration of the sleepwalking episode may be brief or may last up to more than 30 minutes. If a sleepwalking patient is not disturbed, he or she may return to sleep normally, although it may be in a different or unusual place.
The most common symptoms of sleepwalking are:
- Confusion and disorientation upon awakening
- Aggressive behavior when awakened by another person
- Absent facial expression
- Opening eyes during sleep
- Not remembering what happened upon awakening
- Engaging in activities during sleep
- Talking in sleep and saying nonsense
- Walking during sleep
Safety precautions should be taken to prevent the person from injuring himself or herself.
Medical tests for sleepwalking
Usually, to detect sleepwalking it is not necessary to perform any type of test, although if it occurs frequently, the specialist may decide to resort to some type of diagnostic method to rule out other disorders such as seizures, for example.
If the patient has a history of emotional problems, he or she may need to undergo a mental health evaluation to look for and treat causes such as anxiety or stress.
What are the causes of sleepwalking?
Fatigue, lack of sleep and anxiety are some of the causes associated with sleepwalking. In adults the most common risk factors are alcohol, sedatives or other medications, conditions such as seizures and mental disorders.
In older people, sleepwalking may be a symptom of a medical problem that causes a decrease in metal functions, i.e. a neurocognitive disorder.
Can it be prevented?
Sleepwalking can be prevented by avoiding the consumption of alcohol and antidepressants, not depriving oneself of sleep and trying to prevent insomnia, as well as avoiding or minimizing stress, anxiety and conflicts that may trigger this pathology.
Treatments for sleepwalking
In most cases, no treatment is necessary to combat sleepwalking, although in others it will be necessary to administer tranquilizers to help reduce the episodes of sleepwalking.
It is important to know that it is not dangerous to awaken a person suffering from sleepwalking, although it is likely that he/she will be constantly injured, since he/she may stumble or lose balance frequently. To avoid these injuries, safety measures such as moving objects, electronic cables or furniture can be used to reduce the risk of falling, as well as blocking access to stairs.
Medications for sleepwalking
In general, sleepwalking does not require any type of drug to be treated, although sometimes the specialist may decide to resort to the administration of tranquilizers to reduce these episodes.
In any case, it will be the specialist who will decide, under an adjusted diagnosis, if the cause of sleepwalking may be due to another disease such as depression or anxiety and, in this case, it is necessary to treat them with some type of medication to reverse the symptoms of sleepwalking as well.
What specialist treats it?
The specialist who treats sleep disorders such as sleepwalking is the expert in Neurology, Neurophysiology, Psychology or Psychiatry, depending on whether the causes of sleepwalking are other pathologies such as anxiety, depression or stress, among others.