sleepwalking

definition

It is a type of parasomnia disorder. People who sleepwalk may exhibit strange, inappropriate, or even violent behaviors.

Cause

Sleepwalking mainly occurs in childhood. Research indicates that the incidence rate of sleepwalking in children is as high as 17%, and it mainly affects children aged 8-12 years old.

The main causes of sleepwalking attacks are:
1) Sleeping time is too short;
2) Physical illness: such as hyperthyroidism; migraine; history of head injury; history of stroke; short sleep time;
3) Mood diseases, such as depression;
4) Other sleep-related diseases, such as sleep apnea;
5) Abuse of alcohol or drugs, etc.

symptom

Patients typically exhibit the following symptoms:
1) Sit up from bed and open your eyes;
2) Expression and eyes are dull;
3) Get up and walk around;
4) It is difficult to wake the patient from sleep;
5) The patient is confused after waking up and cannot remember what happened.

Approach

In children, sleepwalking often disappears by the time they reach their teenage years.

You can prevent injury while sleepwalking by taking the following steps:

1. Lock the doors and windows at night to prevent going out;

2. Do not sleep on loft beds (bunk beds);

3. Move sharp, fragile and dangerous items away from beds and bedrooms;

4. Keep floors clean to avoid tripping.

If sleepwalkers occur, do not try to hold them down or wake them up. They can be gently guided back to bed to get enough sleep. In general, children ages 3 to 5 should get 10 to 13 hours of sleep, older children should get 9 to 12 hours, and teenagers should get 8 to 10 hours. Adequate sleep can effectively prevent sleepwalking.

If the problem persists, please seek professional advice from your doctor.