Sleepwalking: A Special Sleep Disorder

It is a sleep-related disorder characterized by the person partially suffering from it.  The most characteristic feature of this disorder is that the sleepwalker experiences repetitive episodes of complex motor behavior that begin during deep sleep.

Thus, during a deep sleep, a sleepwalker can do different things or talk in his sleep, for example, rubbing his eyes, walking in his room, or even leaving the house.

In addition, a person suffering from this sleep disorder has the ability to avoid objects, but the mind and ability to reason has greatly changed. So it can be said that a sleepwalker acts and speaks, but is not aware of anything he is doing or what is happening around him.

The prevalence of sleepwalking is estimated to be between 1% and 15% of the world’s population. The onset or continuation of this disorder in adulthood is common, although it is a much more common phenomenon specifically in children. It is not usually associated with any psychiatric or psychological problem.

Sleepwalking and the first stage of NREM sleep

This sleep disorder occurs during the first stage of so-called NREM (sleep outside of REM sleep). To better understand it, we will now explain in a simple way the different stages of sleep.

Not all rest and sleep follow the same pattern after we go to sleep. Sleep is divided into several periods of about 90 minutes that are repeated during the hours we sleep.

During these periods, we can distinguish two different stages of sleep: slow sleep and paradoxical sleep. Let us now consider the different stages of sleep that are classified as either REM sleep, i.e., blinking, or non-REM sleep, i.e., NREM sleep.

NREM-uni

The following steps occur during NREM sleep:

• Phase I or Sleep Deprivation Phase: This phase includes approximately the first 10 minutes of our sleep. In other words, it is a transition from the moment we are still awake to the moment we bother to sleep.
• Phase II or Light Sleep Phase: This phase covers about 50 percent of our sleep cycle. During the light sleep phase, both breathing and heart rate slow down. During this stage, it is also normal for some people to experience a typical dream in which he falls from a cliff or other high place and wakes up suddenly.
• Phase II or Transition Phase: This is a short phase, only two or three minutes long, during which we approach the fourth phase, deep sleep.
• Phase IV or Deep Sleep Phase: This phase covers about 20 percent of the entire sleep cycle. It’s the most important stage when we talk about when a person really rests. It is very difficult to wake up from this stage and it is at this stage that the sleepwalker “wakes up”.

REM sleep or the stage of paradoxical sleep

REM sleep covers about 25 percent of our sleep cycle and lasts 15-30 minutes. During this stage, the eyes move or “blink” constantly under the eyelids, from which another term for REM sleep, blinking, also comes from.

This stage of sleep is characterized by high brain activity, which is very similar to when we are awake, even though our muscles are relaxed at the same time. It is the stage where we see dreams and receive information from outside.

Reasons for sleepwalking

This fault (ICD-10 diagnostic code F51.3) tends to be inherited. In addition, the disorder is often associated with fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety. On the other hand, other factors predisposing to sleepwalking include:

• Alcohol, sedatives and some other medicines
• Some diseases, such as seizures
• Mental health disorders

If you ever come across a person who walks in your sleep, you should first leave any fear aside and stay calm. Next, it is advisable to guide that person back to bed by speaking to him or her in the same soft voice and short and clear sentences. In other words, a person walking in a dream should never, for example, be shaken awake, as an awakened sleepwalker may act in a confusing or even aggressive manner.

Caring for sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a harmless phenomenon in most cases, and if a patient walks in their sleep only infrequently or only occasionally, the disorder usually does not require treatment. In many cases, the disorder can be eliminated simply by improving so-called sleep hygiene, i.e. by improving the quality of sleep and by ensuring that the bedroom is as comfortable as possible for sleeping.

However, if sleepwalking does not cease with these procedures, continues repeatedly, exposes injuries, or begins to interfere with the rest of the patient or other family members, it is recommended that a professional be consulted for possible follow-up.  In addition, it is important that in the most disturbing cases of sleepwalking, your doctor tries to find out the possible causes of the problem.

Some patients have claimed to have improved with techniques such as hypnosis. In addition to treating sleepwalking, there are also some medication options designed to improve sleep quality and calm the sleepwalker’s mind.

However, it is possible that sleepwalking will decrease over the years because – and as we have already mentioned, the duration of the deep sleep phase decreases with age, which also significantly reduces the chances of sleepwalking.