Sleepwalking (somnambulism). What to do if your loved one is a sleepwalker? Sleepwalking: causes, symptoms, treatment Sleepwalkers, what do they do when they walk

In which a person performs various actions (walking, speaking) in an unconscious sleepy state. This is due to disorders of the fragile psyche in children, which go away with age. Sometimes sleepwalking occurs in adults, the causes and treatment of which are not fully understood.

Somnambulism in adults occurs in approximately one in a thousand inhabitants of the Earth, and occurs much less frequently than in children.

Sleepwalking in adults: signs

Symptoms of somnambulism manifest themselves in the form of any actions performed in a dream. In appearance, the sleepwalker gives the impression of being awake, but if you look closely, you can understand that he is sleeping.

How does sleepwalking manifest in adults? The signs of somnambulism are as follows:

• The sleepwalker sits on the bed or stands frozen.
• Walks around the rooms, performs usual actions (talks on the phone while holding another object in his hand; tries to cook food without using utensils).
• Talks incoherently, asks illogical questions, and answers them.
• Sometimes sleepwalkers leave their homes (through a window, balcony door), which can end tragically.
• The sleeper's eyes are either closed or open, but his gaze is immersed inward, his face has no expression.
• The skin of a sleepwalker is insensitive to touches, pinches and even minor injuries.
• The state of somnambulism lasts no more than half an hour, after which the sleepwalker returns to his bed and sleeps peacefully until the morning, unaware of his travels.
• It is almost impossible to wake a person, but if this succeeds, the sleepwalker experiences shock and does not remember the actions he performed in his sleep.

Typically, sleepwalking in adults manifests itself during difficult periods of life, and sometimes lasts for years; the causes and treatment of this phenomenon lie in the individual characteristics of the body.

The main causes of somnambulism in adults

Sleepwalking is a disease of inorganic origin, so its manifestations can occur in the following situations:

• prolonged stress at work, school;
• life shocks (death of a loved one, divorce, financial collapse);
• threat to life (serious accident, animal attack or violent acts of people);
• epilepsy;
• heredity.

Stress itself is not a trigger for attacks. Those people who, after an incident, continue to think about the problem and intensely look for a way out of the current situation are susceptible to sleepwalking.

Extremely emotional and impressionable people suffer from somnambulism. Even if a person is outwardly calm, real passions are boiling inside him, which manifest themselves in the form of sleepwalking.

Sometimes sleepwalking in adults is associated with fatigue or fever due to a cold. In rare cases, sleepwalking is caused by a genetic predisposition.

Treatment of sleepwalking in adults

In the old days, sleepwalkers were treated with folk remedies, but such therapy did not bring results. Currently, a one-time manifestation of somnambulism does not require medical intervention; it is enough to analyze the situation, find out the cause of what is happening and observe the person’s nocturnal behavior. But if cases of sleepwalking are frequent and are associated with attempts to leave the house, the help of a psychiatrist or neurologist is necessary.

Treatment of sleepwalking in adults comes down to the following:

• Eliminate stress and emotional tension.
• Monitor your sleep schedule, as insomnia and erratic falling asleep provoke disturbances in the body, leading to night walking.
• Periodic consultations with a neurologist and psychotherapist.
• Spa treatments will help reduce or completely stop attacks.
• Medications (sedatives, sleeping pills, antidepressants) are prescribed only if a person poses a threat to himself and loved ones during sleepwalking.

Somnambulism in itself is not dangerous. But variants of its manifestation (attempts to start a car, turn on an appliance, leave the house) can harm both the sleepwalker himself and those around him.

How to protect a sleepwalker:

• Place a wet towel on the floor next to the bed. Standing on it with his bare feet, the person wakes up and goes back to bed.
• Set an alarm every 2 hours. By turning them off, a person will be able to independently control the phases of sleep.
• The bars on the windows will save the sleepwalker from falling.
• Unplug household appliances (for example, a microwave).
• Avoid watching horror films and negative TV shows before bed.
• Avoid exercising late in the evening.
• You should not try to wake up a sleepwalker. You need to take his hand and lead him back to bed.

Thus, sleepwalking in adults, the causes and treatment of which do not always require medical therapy, since after some time the pathology usually recedes.

Sleepwalking occurs more often in adolescents and children than in adults. This happens because the psyche is not yet fully formed. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. Parents always get scared and start to panic. This is actually a very common occurrence. Every fifth child sleepwalks at least once. Sometimes adults themselves are to blame for disrupting sleep patterns, which is why such attacks occur.

Sleepwalking is unconscious movements during sleep, as well as talking and walking. Sleepwalking has been known since ancient times. People described this disease, but they were very afraid of such people. Until now, most horror films contain a sequence in which a person sleepwalks unconsciously. Even if a teenager simply sits down on the bed, and then lies down again and sleeps peacefully further, this is also a sign of sleepwalking or somnambulism. Also, symptoms of sleepwalking in adolescents include talking in their sleep, which the child does not remember, actively moving their limbs and getting out of bed. This phenomenon continues to be studied.

The main reasons are as follows:

All these factors, coupled with an immature nervous system, result in malfunctions in the system that regulates the processes of inhibition and excitation during sleep. In most cases, such attacks pass in the first half of the night. Most often, sleepwalking in adolescents goes away after puberty. It used to be believed that sleepwalking episodes depended on the cycles of the moon, but in fact this is not true.

When it comes to sleepwalking, many people imagine a teenager walking down the street with his arms outstretched. In fact, this is just a myth. A sleepwalker can simply walk around the room and go to bed.

If you speak to him at this moment, you will not receive an answer to your question or the answer will be given out of place.

Sleepwalking is sometimes very frightening to others. It is important to understand that if you wake up a sleepwalker, he will also be scared. For a child with a fragile nervous system, this is stressful, so during an attack it is advisable to simply control the teenager’s movement and protect against injury. You can't wake him up.

To prevent attacks, several conditions for normal sleep should be met:

Sometimes it’s enough just to get proper sleep and change your diet. This may be enough to prevent sleepwalking from happening again.

A healthy lifestyle has a positive effect on both general health and the state of the nervous system. Therefore, attacks of sleepwalking will pass faster if the teenager is not in a constant state of stress.

Treatment for sleepwalking should be carried out only if it threatens the health or life of the teenager and his environment. Most often, such attacks are harmless. In order to avoid dangerous situations, dangerous objects, such as knives, should be removed from the access area. It is advisable to install bars on the windows if a child comes up and opens them during an attack, and you live high up. Of course, the somnambulist is worth showing to a specialist. To begin with, a neuropathologist.

Treatment may include the following options:

You can show it to a psychologist to identify stress and hidden disorders. Working with a psychologist will help identify problems in the family, school, and relationships with peers.

How to treat sleepwalking? If attacks become regular, then you can consult a doctor. He will identify the cause and help cure the disease. In extreme cases, medications may be used.

Sleepwalking is a very strange disease. It can arise suddenly and manifest itself in one attack, or it can become a regular problem. In any case, it is important to maintain a sleep-wake schedule, as well as sleep in comfortable conditions. Teenagers and children are more susceptible to sleepwalking due to the characteristics of their nervous system, so they should be protected so that they do not suffer from nightmares and do not walk around their rooms at night. With age, this may go away as suddenly as it appeared.

How dangerous is the state of somnambulism, how to behave with a sleepwalker when he walks in his sleep? The whole truth and myths about those who don't quite sleep at night.

We were probably all told as children that sleepwalkers, when they walk in their sleep, should not be woken up, talked to or touched. They frightened us with various horror stories and explained a person’s sleepwalking for mystical reasons. But what is sleepwalking (somnambulism) really? So, let's try to figure out who sleepwalkers are, what are the true reasons for their behavior, and how to behave correctly with a person who walks while unconscious.

Somnambulism or sleepwalking- This is a very unusual condition in which a person can move or perform other actions while in a dream. Outwardly, people suffering from somnambulism appear to be awake and behave quite adequately. After waking up, they do not remember anything about what they did in the dream, and learn about their condition from third parties.

A sleepwalker can be identified by slow and smooth movements and a slightly blurred gaze. The actions that somnambulists perform in their sleep usually depend on what they are currently dreaming about or imagining. It is believed that at least 2 percent of people today suffer from somnambulism. At the same time, most sleepwalkers are completely harmless and perform simple actions that are familiar to them.

Why can't sleepwalkers be woken up in their sleep?

Why you can’t wake up sleepwalkers is a question that interests people to this day. In fact, sleepwalking is a strange and mysterious phenomenon. Our ancestors associated it with the influence of the moon, believing that it was the moon that made a person get out of bed and wander around in an unconscious state, performing strange actions. Due to a lack of understanding of the causes of sleepwalking, many myths and beliefs have arisen. One of the most common legends is that sleepwalkers should not be awakened.

What happens if you wake up a sleepwalker?

In fact, if you wake up a sleepwalker, nothing bad should happen. The main thing is not to do it too abruptly, so as not to frighten the sleeping person. Most sleepwalkers are difficult to wake up. This requires a lot of time and effort. True, some wake up from ordinary handling or touch, but this is rather an exception to the rule.

At the moment of awakening, a person suffering from somnambulism usually doesn’t understand what happened and where he is. This is the only danger, because the sleepwalker himself may get scared and behave inappropriately. The most important thing is to immediately explain to the person what is happening and that he has nothing to fear. You should also approach the awakening process carefully so as not to run into aggression caused by the defensive reaction of the sleeper.

Is it possible to wake up sleepwalkers: dangers and risks?

Sometimes the danger of sleepwalking is that the sleeping person can climb onto a roof, go down stairs, or even get behind the wheel of a car. In these cases, you should be extremely careful so that at the moment of awakening the sleepwalker did not harm himself or those around him. Most often, people suffering from somnambulism are not aggressive and do not intentionally harm anyone. Tragic cases are quite rare and are mostly associated with uncontrolled actions rather than intentions to cause harm.

What is sleepwalking? Symptoms and manifestations

Word "sleepwalking" or "somnambulism" translated from Latin means "walking in a dream". This syndrome appears quite unexpectedly. So, sleepwalkers, i.e. people suffering from somnambulism move in their sleep or perform certain actions without realizing what is happening. After awakening, somnambulists usually do not remember what happened to them during sleep. Outwardly, they resemble waking people, only sometimes giving themselves away with a blurred look or not entirely logical actions.

Ancient people believed that such behavior was associated with the influence of the moon on humans. This was sometimes associated with the full moon, although somnambulism often occurs during other lunar phases. Doctors consider somnambulism one of the sleep disorders. The cause of somnambulism is called neurophysiological processes that cause partial awakening of a person.

In fact, somnambulism or sleepwalking is quite common. Thus, statistical data indicate that such a violation manifests itself in more than 2% of the human population, most often in children. The exact causes of sleepwalking are not known. Scientists are confident that this disease is not mental and is rather a type of nervous disorder in impressionable people with individual characteristics of the brain.

How do sleepwalkers behave?

When a person experiences an attack of sleepwalking, his behavior changes somewhat. The movements of the sleepwalker are smooth and soft, his pupils are constricted, and his gaze is clouded and unseeing. In most cases, sleepwalkers simply get up in bed and talk. Less often - move around the room, perform any actions - open the refrigerator, rearrange items, turn on equipment, etc.

Attacks of somnambulism usually begin at the beginning of the night and last from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours. Some patients fall into a state of somnambulism every night, while others experience attacks rarely, usually under the influence of strong emotions or stress. Sleepwalkers themselves are not aggressive, but the danger of their condition lies in the fact that a sleepwalker can unknowingly become injured in a dream, confuse a window with a door, or use traumatic objects.

Why do sleepwalkers sleepwalk?

It has been known for a long time that sleepwalkers can walk in their sleep. However, scientists still do not have a consensus on the reason for this deviation. Most doctors agree that bouts of sleepwalking can be caused by the following factors:

• Chronic fatigue and increased brain load;
• Prolonged stressful situations;
• Prolonged experiences;
• Excessive anxiety, suspiciousness;
• Insomnia, sleep disturbances;
• Increased emotionality, which can be caused by both negative and favorable events;
• Abuse of energy drinks, caffeine-containing drinks, alcohol;
• Genetic predisposition;
• Epilepsy;
• Head injuries and injuries;
• Convulsive states;
• Migraine;
• Holding your breath during sleep;
• Neuroinfections;
• Neuroses.

Bouts of sleepwalking in children often associated with phobias or long-term worries, high impressionability and increased emotionality. Boys are most prone to sleepwalking. In this case, attacks may be accompanied by enuresis or nightmares. With age, in most children, somnambulism goes away completely.
The average person goes through several stages during sleep. The first one and a half to two hours occurs in the so-called “slow sleep” stage, when muscle tone is preserved and there are practically no dreams. Next comes the stage of “rapid eye movement” sleep, followed by slow sleep again.

If the nervous system during sleep does not properly control the brain areas responsible for body movement, an attack of sleepwalking may occur. Using an electroencephalograph, scientists were able to find out that sleepwalking occurs precisely during the deep slow-wave sleep phase. The brain of a sleepwalker shows partial activity during an attack. This allows a person to move with his eyes open, perform any actions, and at times even talk. After awakening, sleepwalkers have no memory of their actions. In order not to frighten them, sleepwalkers should not be awakened abruptly.

Unless there is an urgent need, you should not wake up a sleepwalker. The best thing to do is help the person return to bed. Typically, somnambulists do not show aggression and easily obey. In the morning, they will not even remember the events of the night and will believe that they slept peacefully all night in their bed. To wake up a sleepwalker, you should call him by name in a whisper. You can touch the person, stroke him and talk to him until he finally wakes up.

To avoid night walking, you can set several alarms with an interval of about 2 hours. Then a person prone to somnambulism will wake up at the REM stage of sleep, without reaching the deep phase. Also near the bed you can put a bowl of cold water or put a wet blanket. By standing on something wet, the sleepwalker must wake up.

If a sleepwalker goes down the stairs and picks up sharp objects, it is better not to wake him up. Waking up abruptly, a person may become frightened and accidentally injure himself or the person who wakes him up. To protect the sleepwalker from possible risks, you need to understand and analyze his behavior in advance. In the evening, it is better to remove objects that interfere with free movement around the room, wires that a person can get caught on and fall.

It is also better to hide sharp and breakable objects away. The front door should be locked and keys should be kept away. Screens should be placed on the windows, and household appliances should be unplugged. The sleepwalker himself should be protected from stress and given the opportunity to rest and relax normally.

How sleepwalking “works” October 4th, 2014

Sleepwalking is both exciting and scary. The idea that we can control our bodies without realizing what we are doing is truly unnerving. But what happens to our brain (and body) when we sleepwalk?

Some sleepwalking legends say that sleepwalkers are not afraid of danger. And in fact: one 15-year-old girl was found sleeping on top of a crane at a height of 45 meters after an attack of sleepwalking.

Let's find out why this happens...

Sleepwalking, or more precisely, somnambulism (from the Latin somnus - sleep, ambulo - walking, wandering), is one of the rare forms of sleep disturbance. Ancient people often associated what happened in life with the cycles of the moon. They believed that the night star also affects the human psyche. This is how the term “sleepwalking” arose. And although the opinion of the ancestors on this score turned out to be erroneous - it’s not about the moon - the name remained.

People susceptible to somnambulism (from a medical point of view, it is more correct to say this) perform unconscious actions during sleep - sometimes orderly and complex, sometimes ridiculous or uncharacteristic (they behave sexually and provocatively). And sometimes even very dangerous - even driving a car. At the same time, their eyes are open, the pupils are constricted, and their gaze is “glassy.” Some sleepers can answer simple questions in monosyllables. But when they wake up, they won’t remember anything.

Sleepwalkers usually sleepwalk for a short time, no more than an hour. Then they return to bed. By the way, not everyone actually goes. Some, for example, sit or just stand.

Researchers of this phenomenon believe that somnambulists (“sleepwalkers”), also known as sleepwalkers, appeared long before people invented writing and were able to at least document this curious phenomenon. And how many terrible and simply mysterious stories about sleepwalkers were later conveyed by people’s rumors. Most of them are clearly made up.

True, in medieval Europe they saw otherworldly manifestations in sleepwalking and believed that it was women who suffered from it. Witch hunts were very popular back then, and female lunatics were charged with witchcraft and black magic, for which at that time they could be burned at the stake or drowned. The famous manual for the Inquisition - “The Hammer of the Witches” - considered somnambulism as a person’s possession by an unclean spirit and recommended dealing with it accordingly. So the families of the unfortunate sleepwalkers, or rather sleepwalkers, tried to keep them under constant supervision and not let them out into the street, even if the night was completely moonless.

But by the seventeenth century, morals had softened significantly. It is interesting that sleepwalking ceased to be almost exclusively a female privilege and was recognized, so to speak, as bisexual. The men began to explore the roofs and other people's premises at night with no less agility than the representatives of the fair half of humanity. True, no one tried to accuse them of anything illegal. On the contrary, scientific minds have diligently tried to understand the nature of this phenomenon. But other than explaining somnambulistic behavior by the influence of the moon, they couldn’t get to the bottom of anything.

The complete amnesia that supposedly follows sleepwalking is a myth. Some people remember everything they dreamed while walking. After waking up, they admit that their dreams did not make any sense, but they could not control themselves in the dream.

More often, people become sleepwalkers if one of their parents was a sleepwalker. If both parents are sleepwalkers, the chance of their child becoming a sleepwalker increases to 60%. The most common sleepwalkers are young children and people suffering from breathing problems such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and night terrors.

Sleepwalking probably occurs because two parts of the brain are “awake” at the same time. Sleepwalkers do not walk during REM sleep. One of the waking parts of the brain is the motor cortex. People twitch in their sleep because the nervous system is doing its job. The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) disables the motor cortex's ability to make large movements. It seems to us that we are running, but we are just twitching. With a lack of GABA in the body, the part of the brain responsible for motor function works fully, and we move as much as we want, even in our sleep.

This is why children are more likely to sleepwalk than adults. The developing brain cannot provide the necessary supply of GABA. When the nervous system is fully formed, the child “grows out” of sleepwalking. Many sleepwalkers know about their sleepwalking only through family stories.

But look again.

The amazingly realistic sculpture of a sleepwalking man wearing only his underpants was made by several Wellesley College students, but the college president supported the project, saying that it was all part of an intellectual process. The sculpture, called "Sleepwalker," a zombie-like man with his eyes closed, is part of an exhibit by sculptor Tony Matelli of the Davis Museum. It was installed in a busy area of ​​campus just days before the exhibition officially opened, and prompted students to start an online petition to have it removed because it was extremely disturbing.

Text of the petition: “The sculpture represents a source of danger, fear and terrible thoughts regarding sexual violence for everyone. The petition was signed by nearly 300 college students.

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Sleepwalking in adults and children is represented by a number of complex motor actions performed by them in their sleep. At this time, the person is not at all aware of what is happening to him. Hippocrates also described this disease.

Sleepwalking in numbers

Some statistics indicate that sleepwalking, the causes of which few people know, is quite common in our time. Today, its prevalence among people is 15%. Most often, this disease is observed in children aged 4-8 years. As the child grows up, sleepwalking slowly disappears. The causes in children disappear as well as the disease itself.

Despite this, in 10% of cases, patients with sleepwalking (somnambulism) were diagnosed in adolescence. Scientists are inclined to assume that this is due to the presence of a genetic predisposition to such a sleep disorder.

Sleepwalking occurs in adults. Its causes and treatment are most often associated with dementia.

Sleep mechanism

Sleep is divided into five stages. The first four make up its slow phase, and the fifth stage is REM sleep. It is the latter that scientists associate with dreams. During this time, hormones are produced that promote normal growth and metabolism. The duration of each sleep cycle, which includes five stages, is 90-100 minutes. They repeat throughout the night.

In the third or fourth stages of the first two sleep cycles, sleepwalking usually occurs. The reasons for this will be clarified later in the article. In most cases, this occurs at night in children. Daytime sleep is shorter, so the manifestation of the disease is uncharacteristic for it. In the morning after waking up, the child remembers absolutely nothing about his “night travels”.

Causes

Many researchers agree that the presence of heredity, as well as physiological and medicinal factors provoke sleepwalking. The causes of this sleep disorder may also be hidden in unfavorable environmental conditions.

Studies of identical twins have been conducted to confirm the presence of genetic causes. If among the children's closest relatives someone had a history of sleep disorders, sleepwalking is 10 times more common.

The causes in adults may include stress, irregular or lack of sleep, alcohol and psychostimulants, a large amount of unrefined foods in the diet, which provokes magnesium deficiency.

Physiological reasons

Childhood sleepwalking is very common, the causes of which are physiological in nature and consist of:

• characteristic features of babies' sleep - indicators of the duration and depth of the slow-wave sleep phase are increased as well as the likelihood of somnambulism;
• immaturity of brain structures is a very common cause of sleepwalking in children;
• hormonal levels - experts have proven that during pregnancy or menstruation the likelihood of the disease increasing;
• cardiac arrhythmia;
• complications of infectious diseases in the form of fever;
• attacks of bronchial asthma at night;
• sleep apnea and restless legs syndromes;
• mental disorders.

Sedatives, hypnotics, antihistamines, and antipsychotics can affect sleepwalking (causes). Treatment of this form of the disease should begin with stopping taking these medications.

Symptoms of the disease

Sleepwalking and its causes in children and adults can be diagnosed if at least one of the following signs is present:

• walking while sleeping;
• movements are inhibited;
• vision is absent or blurred;
• Conversations are conducted in a sleepy state;
• there is no perception of the surrounding reality;
• no orientation;
• sitting on the bed without awareness.

Very often the patient simply sits on the surface of the bed. This is the only symptom of the disease, when after this he simply goes back to sleep. In more severe cases, the person gets up. He moves around the room or even leaves its confines.

A person suffering from somnambulism has open eyes, but there is absolutely no gaze, and there are no emotions on his face. During the attack, the patient does not perceive anything, does not speak and ignores any questions. On rare occasions, you can hear a stream of meaningless and incoherent sentences from him. When a person is in this state, it is very difficult to wake him up. In addition, during awakening he runs the risk of being very frightened. The attack can last from a few seconds to half an hour or longer.

Among the symptoms of somnambulism, one of the main places is given to the spontaneous completion of sleepwalking. There is a transition to the continuation of ordinary sleep. The person either returns to his bed or falls asleep where he is at that moment.

All this is accompanied by manifestations of amnesia. Therefore, all people suffering from sleepwalking are not able to realize the full danger of this situation. They may unknowingly harm others or themselves.

Very often, the occurrence of sleepwalking is accompanied by attacks of enuresis and nightmares. In some cases, individual movements of the arms or legs may be manifestations of sleep disorders. Sleepwalking in children (the causes and treatment have not yet been fully studied) can manifest itself in the fact that they express some complaints or requests to their parents. At the same time, what was said is characterized by amazing persistence.

Development mechanism

The process of manifestation of somnambulism in people is nothing special. Its mechanism is very simple. During sleep, the central nervous system is significantly inhibited, as a natural slowdown of all processes occurs.

During sleepwalking, the brain does not completely fall asleep. Those areas that are responsible for movement or speech do not sleep. Therefore, a person can move, speak, make movements that are familiar or unusual to him. But at the same time, those centers that control the state of consciousness and memory? disabled. For this reason, the patient does not realize or remember anything.

If the whole brain sleeps, but this happens unevenly, weak manifestations of sleepwalking are observed. These include:

• short conversations in sleep;
• minor and short-term movements.

The patient can simply sit on the bed, but will not walk.

If the presence of somnambulism is influenced by a hereditary factor, its manifestation is not caused by the presence of any reasons.

Detection of sleep disorders

In order to diagnose sleepwalking in children (the causes, treatment of which have their own characteristics) or adults, no additional research is necessary. Complaints from parents or other relatives are sufficient to make a diagnosis. In some cases, psychological testing may be necessary to rule out a cause of sleepwalking such as stress.

When this disease occurs in representatives of the older generation, in some cases an examination by a therapist is required. It will help find and cure the causes of somnambulism. Then sleepwalking itself will disappear. The causes in adults are often of a different nature than in children.

Features of therapy

If you have a child or adult in your family who suffers from sleepwalking, you must:

• maintain a daily routine and ensure that the patient goes to bed and wakes up on time (this will provide him with sufficient rest);
• exclude visual and auditory stimuli in the evening and especially before bedtime;
• do not place the patient on the second floor of a bunk bed - this will prevent him from falling and causing injuries;
• close the doors to the room where the patient sleeps;
• clear the bedroom of all sharp and dangerous objects;
• cover windows with thick curtains.

If sleepwalking occurs, the causes of which are the presence of any disease. then the latter just needs to be cured.

In order to carry out drug treatment of the disease, you must have the following indications:

• there is a high probability that various types of serious injuries may occur during sleepwalking;
• the presence of daytime sleepiness and disturbances in daily activities that are caused by sleepwalking.

Sleepwalking can be treated with benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants and Clonazepam. The time to take medications is immediately before bedtime. For treatment, a small dosage of these drugs should be prescribed.

The duration of the course of therapy is 3-6 weeks. If no relapses are observed, treatment is stopped.

Prevention methods

As practice shows, preventing this disease has an amazing effect. If it is present, childhood sleepwalking (the causes and treatment are quite simple) can be prevented in almost 100% of cases. The most common and effective preventative method is relaxation before bed. You can read fairy tales or prayers to your child. Another good option in this case is listening to calm music.

It is also very useful to take a walk before bed. It is necessary to minimize watching TV and computer games. Instead of regular tea, you should drink herbal infusions. An excellent remedy for adults would be a relaxing massage. If you are not allergic, you can take baths with aromatic oils.

It is equally important to follow a daily routine, to fall asleep with an empty bladder in complete silence. If there is a favorable environment, recovery will occur much faster, and you will forget about what “sleepwalking” is. In adults, its causes and treatment are much more complex, so prevention does not always help to avoid the occurrence of sleep disorders.