Many children sleepwalk during the deep stages of sleep at night. Sleep walking behavior can range from harmless to dangerous. It can be not very comforting to parents to find children wandering through their homes at night. It often starts in early childhood, and often they outgrow this behvaior by the time the child reaches their teens.
What causes people to sleep walk? There are many causes of sleep walking like fatigue, irregular sleep patterns, fever, illness, medications, and stress. Sleepwalkers get out of bed and walk around the house or apartment. This is one of the most common symptoms. Children often look dazed, talk in their sleep, and barge about.
Sometimes they sit up in bed rubbing their eyes or fussing with the pajamas they wear. It occurs in both boys and girls. Sometimes bed wetting occurs in different places and night terrors with the child screaming.
Sleep walking is not dangerous but can lead to dangerous situations. Children might walk downstairs and fall or open a window. It is most often not a sign of emotional or mental problems. In most cases, children will not even remember the incident the next day.
An occasional incident is not a problem, but continual episodes suggest a sleep disorder that may need treatment. Children need to be protected from sleepwalking injuries.
Sleep walking occurs during the deep stages of sleep when we do not dream or have rapid eye movement. An episode can last a few minutes to several. Sometimes, a person who sleeps walks will get up to snack and talk. This often occurs in adults. Consult your doctor when an incident occurs more than once or two times a week and leads to dangerous situations.
In some cases, sleep walking can be caused by depression or separation anxiety in children. It often is associated with medical conditions like narcolepsy, migraines, restless leg syndrome, and GERD. Before seeing a doctor, you might want to keep a sleep diary of your child’s behavior or the adult with the sleep walking disorder. Write down a list of symptoms and go with the child or person that suffers from sleep walking to the doctor.
Some sleepwalkers pee in unusual areas like the closet, the kitchen floor, or in a wastebasket. Some kids use the bathroom but might go in the bathtub or laundry hamper not knowing what they’re doing. More dangerous behavior might be turning on the stove or falling stairs. This can be a symptom you write down and discuss with the doctor.
Miranda Kelly says she has been sleep walking since she was six or seven. She has woken up in many strange places, like in the kitchen and on the bathroom floor. Sleepwaking is the inability of the brain to wake up, according to Alvon Avidon, a neurologist at Los Angles Sleep Disorder Clinic, where he is the director. Russell Rosenberg, chairman of the National Sleep Foundation, says most people do not remember the incident the next day.
Some people sleepwalk into their adulthood. There is a genetic aspect to sleepwalking. If the parent sleepwalks, the children may inherit the problem. A comedian Mike Birbiglia has found humor from some of his experiences. He once jumped through a hotel window trying to escape a missile after him.
When he landed on the lawn in his boxer shorts, blood was on his legs. Since he was alone, he ended up driving himself to the hospital. He eventually went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a sleep disorder.
One girl with a sleep walking disorder woke up dressed and got ready for school. She would often then go back to bed. This lasted through middle school. One morning a mother went to wake up her daughter, that sleepwalks. She was not in her bed. She had gone to the treehouse, her hiding place. She walked into the house and asked why everyone was searching for her.
Another girl recalls her sister coming into the bathroom late when she is brushing her teeth. She starts to run the water for a bath. When asked what she is doing, she says she is taking a bath. When the tub is filled, she jumps in with her nightgown. A few minutes later, she awakes and starts to cry. Her sister is shocked to realize that she has been sleeping.
Sleep walking Treatments
Sleepwalking in children is more common than most people believe. In many cases, children outgrow sleeping walking and do not need treatment. Still, parents will need to make the house safe for children that sleepwalk. Parents might want to set up bedrooms on the ground floor or put up gates at the top of the stairs. Remove toys or electric cords that Who can trip on in the child’s bedroom.
Who should lock the door and windows with an alarm so parents know if the child is sleepwalking? Keep car keys hidden with older teens that sleepwalk. Setting an earlier bedtime and doing relaxing exercises before watching TV or reading may be helpful.
When you find a child sleep walking, you suggest that you lead them gently back to bed and not try to awaken them. Often when they are awakened, they become confused and disoriented.
Treatments with a doctor or sleep clinic may be needed as a method on how to stop sleepwalking. There are sleep disorder clinics at many hospitals that treat sleep disorders. Some treatments might be medications that help with sleep, like benzodiazepines and anti-depressants, especially if sleepwalking is disruptive to the family.
Often a sleep clinic will diagnose sleep disorders in severe cases and outline an individual treatment plan with the family. Some sleep clinics have polysomnography overnight to diagnose sleep apnea and other disorders.
Whether adult or kids sleepwalk, there is the treatment for both. Sometimes treatment with some clinics involves learning self-hypnosis. A relaxing routine before bedtime often paves the way for better sleep patterns. Taking a warm bath, doing a puzzle, or drinking a cup of hot cocoa helps. Give a young child a stuffed animal to sleep with.
Reduce stress which sometimes is what causes sleepwalking in children and teens. Talk to your children about what is bothering them to help relieve stress. Encourage healthy eating and exercise daily to work off tension. Walking, biking, yard work, or running are all good for the body and mind.
At night sit with the child and turn off the lights, then talk about shadows and the dark with your child. This will get me comfortable with how the room looks at night. A night light might give them comfort and help them get to sleep better. Keep the computer out of the bedroom. Those with computers in the bedroom are often sleepless.
Have computers in a separate room and limit time spent on them. Try to keep rooms dark at night for better sleep overall. These tips are for sleep-walking adults and kids sleep-walking.
Sleep is essential to children, teens, and adults well being. Remember, sleepwalking causes a significant disruption in a person’s sleep pattern. It is as important as healthy eating and exercise daily. Often teens don’t sleep well until after 11 p.m… They need about 9-1/2 hours of sleep to function well but often don’t get this. At least 8-1/2 is required, but most don’t get these hours.
Teens should take naps after school or make sleep more of a priority. Don’t drink coffee an hour before going to bed. Establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time and stick to this. Don’t eat and exercise for a few hours before going to bed. Try to establish a routine before bed that relaxes you.
Teens can keep a diary of sleep patterns, especially if they sleepwalk to recognize sleep patterns. Keeping the bedroom around 65 degrees helps everyone get a better night’s sleep. The mattress should be supportive, not too soft or hard. Even the quality of the sheets and what you wear all contribute to a good night’s sleep. Choose pajamas for younger children that breathe, so they do not sweat at night.
Keep the child’s room clutter-free. That means picking up toys and clothing and putting them away. Decorate but keep it simple, not cluttered. Try to reduce noise when your child sleeps, lower the TV or close the door.
There are many causes of sleepwalking. The most crucial point is that it needs to be watched and treated when dangerous.
