There are many parents who worry when their young children present sleepwalking episodesThat is, they get out of bed as if they were awake, sometimes wandering around the house, but they are still asleep and the next day they do not remember any of their nocturnal excursions.
For many families, it is routine to close doors and windows at night to prevent sleepwalking children from leaving the house and getting hurt or lost. The anguish that this causes for parents is obvious, and can end up causing sleep disorders throughout the family, as the moment of going to sleep is feared because of what the sleepwalking child might do.
But it is not only children who suffer from this sleep disorder (classified along with night terrors, bruxism and nocturnal enuresis as parasomnias); there are some adults who suffer from episodes of sleepwalking, causing great concern in their partner, or in themselves, even to the point of isolating themselves and rejecting relationships for fear that their «little secret» will be discovered.
Can a sleepwalker be woken up?
Contrary to what tradition says, There is no danger at all in waking up a person who is in the middle of a sleepwalking episode, although certain precautions must be taken.
To begin with, it must be taken into account that when a person is sleepwalking, their sleep is very deep since they are in the stage of sleep called Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), which makes it quite difficult to wake them up.
In addition, it should be noted that while the person is wandering around the house, it is very likely that they will think that they are in a completely different place, so if we manage to wake them up, we must keep in mind that they will probably wake up scared, disoriented and he won't understand what you're doing in the middle of the dining room or kitchen.
The best thing in cases of sleepwalking is to leave the person go back to bed on their own. They tend to do so sooner or later, or they may fall asleep in sometimes unlikely places (in the bathtub or on the kitchen floor, for example). In these cases, if we are talking about a small child, we can pick them up and take them to their bed. If it is an adult, we can accompany them and guide them to bed with our hands when they are still in the walking phase.
Treatment of sleepwalking
There is no specific treatment for sleepwalking, as in most cases it tends to remit spontaneously as the child grows and matures. In fact, relatively few adults have frequent episodes of sleepwalking; in these cases and under certain circumstances, it seems that some tranquilizers can reduce the episodes.
However, it would be interesting visit a specialist If, in addition to sleepwalking, the person presents other symptoms of a mental disorder (such as hallucinations, depression, manic episodes, etc.) or if the episodes are potentially dangerous, such as if the person drives a vehicle or handles tools.
What can I do if I am a sleepwalker or live with a sleepwalker?
The first thing you should do is don't worrySleepwalking is not considered a serious mental illness and, in fact, sleepwalkers generally lead fairly normal and ordinary lives.
You must take into account that:
- What a sleepwalker does or says is not conscious. There is no malice in it, nor any pretensions of any kind.
- The dangers associated with sleepwalking are basically those that the person themselves may experience. That is to say, it does not generally pose a danger to other people living in the home.
Some recommendations for avoid dangers and manage the episodes:
- Make sure that anything that could be disturbing is not within easy reach of the sleepwalker at night. potentially dangerous (knives, appliances…).
- If the sleepwalker usually walks around the house, before going to sleep try to move the furniture and possible objects as far away as possible. obstacles out of your way. This will help you avoid minor accidents.
- If the sleepwalker tends to get up and walk around the house, make sure that all the windows are tightly closed and that the door keys are not within reach.
- It is very typical for a sleepwalker to do specific tasks while he is having an episode (drawing for children or cleaning for adults are two examples). You can try to shorten the episode by telling him how well he did and encouraging him to rest as you direct him to bed.
- Try Do not take stimulants before going to sleep: avoid alcohol, drugs and tobacco in general.
- Likewise, try Do not do exciting activities Just before going to sleep: avoid sports, try to disconnect from the computer and the TV at least an hour before going to bed and relax by reading a book, for example.
- Practice relaxation exercises before sleeping, this will reduce stress levels and make sleepwalking episodes less likely.
If you want to contact a professional, at you can leave us your consultation with a psychologist for free.