Sleepwalking Sleep Disorder in Children and Adults

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.

What Causes Sleep Walking In Children?

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.

What Causes Sleep Walking In Adults?

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.