Sleepwalking sleep disorder can be found in approximately 14% of children and only about 1% of adults. Sleep walking is also known as somnambulism and, although many people will do it once or twice in their lives, it’s very rare that you will find someone who does it with the frequency necessary to consider it a sleep disorder. However, for those who do suffer from somnambulism, the effects aren’t only a lack of sleep, but there can also be dangerous aspects to sleepwalking.

Before treatment can even be explored, it’s important to know what causes sleep walking and better understand it. With the sleepwalking sleep disorder, the brain does not wake up at the same time. The part of the brain that controls movement is awake and a sleepwalker can see what they are doing, but the part of the brain responsible for understanding and recognition is still sleeping. This is what causes a sleepwalker to get up and move around, but not respond to their name or conversation. This is also what causes the condition to be potentially dangerous for many.

The causes of sleep walking sleep disorder vary in children and adults, but for children, the cause is usually as simple as immature sleep cycles. When sleep cycles haven’t matured it can cause a disruption in sleep patterns until they are able to grow out of it. In fact, almost all children who suffer from sleepwalking will outgrow it in a very small amount of time.

In adults, the causes usually have to do with stress, disrupted sleep, exhaustion and anxiety. In rare cases, sleep walking can be caused from conditions such as epilepsy. In the case of stress and anxiety, it is thought that the entire brain isn’t allowed to fully sleep in the first place, which is why somnambulism results.

Treatment for the sleepwalking sleep disorder can vary greatly depending on how much danger a person faces from the condition. It is widely recommended that when a child sleep walks, the best thing to do is take them back to bed and ensure that they are once again resting comfortably. In kids, the episodes generally don’t last for a long time and will resolve themselves.

In adults, it may be necessary to treat sleepwalking sleep disorder a little differently. The first step is to determine how much danger the individual is in. For instance, if the sleepwalker is at risk of getting in the car and going for a drive, then it may be necessary to take other safety measures to protect against this such as hiding the car keys. When this begins to happen, it is important to seek treatment for this condition so that the sleepwalker doesn’t hurt themselves or anyone else.

There are behavioral treatments and prescriptions that can be used to treat sleepwalking sleep disorders, but these should only be used in extreme cases. If you are concerned about an ongoing sleepwalking situation, you should consult your health-care professional to see what you can do to treat the condition.

Sleep walking disorder is most common in preteen youngsters and happens often enough to be a common concern among parents. If you find your child wandering around in the dark rest assured it isn’t unusual and you’re not alone in your worries. Fortunately most children outgrow Sleep walking disorder by their teens.

What Is A Sleep Walking Disorder?

In spite of its name sleep walking, also called somnambulism, does not just involve walking. Those who suffer from sleep walking disorder can often be found simply sitting up in bed, or worst case scenarios walking around stairways, or outside. Those affected by sleep walking disorder do not usually realize they are doing it and will often react with surprise when you tell them of their nightly wanderings. There have even been reports of people sitting up and answering questions in their sleep, laying back down, and having no recollection of the conversation when awake.

While superstition suggests it is bad to wake up a sleep walker in reality it has no effect on them other than the fact that they are often disoriented for a few minutes. Because this condition often occurs in the deepest stages of the sleep cycle then can be very difficult to wake up while sleep walking.

What Causes Sleep Walking?

There are many things that can trigger sleep walking disorder. They include general lack of sleep, sleep that gets interrupted frequently, illness, fever, some medications, general stress. In spite of many beliefs there is no connection between sleep walking and mental illness. It is a very normal response to any of the above conditions. There is no reason to worry about a sleep walker physically or mentally but great care should be taken to not allow them to harm themselves during a bout of sleep walking. If someone you live with experiences repeated sleep walking events it is a good idea to guard stairways with gates, and be sure to make doors to the outside inaccessible.

How To Help A Sleep Walker

There are several things you can do to make a sleep walker more relaxed. There is no real cure for sleep walking disorder but following the list below can lessen sleep walking events:

• Avoid all caffeine based drinks including hot chocolate and sodas several hours before bedtime.

• Set regular bed and naptime schedules that are appropriate for the sleep walker’s age group.

• Stop all liquids several hours before bedtime.

• Provide a quiet and peaceful room for your sleep walker.

The best method for dealing with a sleep walker when you find them wandering about is to lead them back to bed and tuck them in. They will usually fall right back to sleep and you can rest assured it is a temporary condition.