Men's Health > sleep problems > sleepwalking

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking can be a serious problem.

When you go to bed, the last thing you’re thinking about is crashing into a wall, falling down a flight of stairs, walking through the college dorm commons area (like Steve on the left) ... but that is exactly what could happen when you’re sleep walking.

Surprisingly, research tells us that about ten percent of all humans sleep walk at least once in their life. Fifteen percent of those people, who sleep walk once, do so afterwards at a regular rate.

Sleep walking occurs at the point of deep sleep that is on the verge of deep REM sleep. No one knows quite why it happens, but there are some interesting theories.

Sleepwalking Theories

One of these theories is that sleep walking is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Sleep walkers have been studied while sleep walking, and they found that the brain waves that occur while sleep walking are almost like the brain waves found in a person who is fully awake.

Children are also more susceptible to sleep walking then adults. They theorize that this could be because as the child grows, their sleep habits change and the body gets confused. When these little sleep walking munchkins reach puberty, the chemicals that the body produces negate and fix this habit.

Sleepwalking could also be caused by genetics, like almost anything else. If your parents were prone to sleep walk, then it’s likely you are as well.

Children who sleep walk will most likely grow out of it, but adults who do it usually suffer from this disorder for the rest of their lives unless they get help. While sleep walking may just be a mild annoyance to some, it can be a real problem to others. You can be seriously injured, and your brain is not able to make any decisions if you find yourself in danger.

Of course, the "sleepwalker" doesn't know they are sleepwalking ... so they must be informed by a spouse, parent, friend or sibling.

Sleepwalking Treatment

Sleepwalking is a very treatable sleeping disorder. Your doctor most likely will prescribe a sleeping aid, counseling sessions or a combination of the two.

Drew Voight