Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Symptoms and Stages of Somnambulism

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Description

The act of getting up and moving around while still asleep is known as sleepwalking or somnambulism. Sleepwalking typically subsides by adolescence, despite being more prevalent in children than in adults. Sleepwalking in isolated instances frequently does not typically indicate any serious issues or necessitate treatment. Recurrent sleepwalking, on the other hand, may indicate an underlying sleep disorder.

Adult sleepwalking is more likely to be confused with other sleep disorders and medical conditions or to coexist with them.

Protecting someone who sleepwalks from sleepwalking-related injuries is critical if they are a member of our family.

Is sleepwalking a disorder of sleep?

Parasomnia is a type of sleep disorder that includes sleepwalking. Parasomnias are abnormal sleep behaviors. In point of fact, the actions that take place during parasomnia episodes are abnormal due to the fact that parasomnias straddle the line between sleep and wakefulness.

The stage of the sleep cycle during which parasomnias occur can be used to classify them. Sleepwalking usually takes place in stage III of the sleep cycle, also known as deep sleep, during non-REM (NREM) sleep. Sleepwalking is categorized as an NREM disorder of arousal, along with other parasomnias like sleep talking, confusional arousals, and sleep terrors.

What symptoms does sleepwalking present?

Sleepwalking can manifest itself in a variety of ways, some of which are direct and others are more involved, that a person performs while largely asleep. A person may have open, glassy eyes and a blank expression during an episode. They typically speak incoherently or with less response.

It is essential to acknowledge that sleepwalking is not limited to walking, despite the name. Sleepwalking can still be used to describe other kinds of behavior. Running, doing things like getting dressed, moving furniture, engaging in sexual activity (sexsomnia), and urinating in an inappropriate location are all examples. Behaviors can be violent or more complex, such as attempting to drive, less frequently.

What are the reasons why people sleepwalk?

Experts in the field of sleep believe that a person typically experiences sleepwalking when they are in a deep sleep stage and are partially awoken in a manner that causes them to engage in physical activity while remaining mostly asleep.

The likelihood of this kind of partial awakening is influenced by a number of factors like:

History of the family and genes: There is a clear pattern in the genetic predisposition of some individuals to sleepwalking and other NREM parasomnias, according to studies. This condition affects about 22% of children whose parents have never been known to sleepwalk. In contrast, if one parent has a history of sleepwalking, 47% of children do so, and if both parents do, 61% do so.

Deprivation of sleep: Sleepwalking has been linked to an increased risk of sleep deprivation, which may be caused by more time spent in deep sleep following a sleep deprivation period.

Several drugs: Sedative medications may induce a type of sleep that increases the likelihood of a sleepwalking episode in patients.

Alcohol: Savoring liquor the night can make precariousness in an individual's rest organizes and may uplift the gamble of sleepwalking.

Brain damage: Sleepwalking may be triggered by brain-affecting conditions like encephalitis, which causes brain swelling.

Fever: Fever has been found to increase the likelihood of sleepwalking in children, which may be linked to an increased number of nighttime arousals caused by illness.

OSA: Obstructive Sleep Apnea OSA is a rest problem where the aviation route gets hindered, causing short slips by in breath during rest. These stops, which can happen many times each evening, make rest interferences that might bring about sleepwalking.

Syndrome of Restless Legs (RLS): A sleep disorder known as Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is characterized by a strong desire to move one's legs and other limbs while lying down. It causes evening feelings of excitement from which an individual might go into a sleepwalking episode.

Stress: Different sorts of pressure can influence rest, including causing more divided or upset rest that can build the inclination for sleepwalking . Stress can be physical, for example, from torment, or profound. When traveling and sleeping in an unfamiliar location, for example, some types of stress may be linked to discomfort or change.

Sleepwalking children may experience fewer episodes as they get older, or they may continue to do so into adulthood. Although most cases of sleepwalking begin in childhood, it can also occur in adulthood.

Conclusion

The majority of sleepwalking episodes end in less than ten minutes, ranging from a few seconds to half an hour. The individual might get to bed and go once again to rest all alone, or they might awake and get confused while they are still up. The person almost never remembers the episode when they wake up, which is a key symptom of sleepwalking and other NREM parasomnias. As a result, a member of their family is typically the first person they tell about their sleepwalking. A further characteristic of NREM parasomnias is that they typically occur in the first third or half of the night, when a person typically spends more time in the deep NREM sleep stages.