What to know before you wander off
In an effort to make these incidents less embarrassing for all parties involved, the hotel’s solution was to make their employees more aware of how common sleepwalking is and to store more towels at the front desk.
For many Americans, sleepwalking seems more like a myth, but in reality, it can affect up to four percent of adults. The condition is more common in children, with rates as high as 17 percent. It affects both genders, but in adulthood, men are much more likely to act aggressively during sleepwalking episodes.
Travelodge recently published a statement that in their United Kingdom hotels alone, there were 400 reported incidents of sleepwalking during the past year. Of those 400 guests, 95 percent were men, most of who were sleepwalking while not wearing any clothing. The hotel staff usually found the guest in the reception area asking questions such as, “Can I check out; I am late for work?” and “Do you have a copy of today’s paper?” In an effort to make these incidents less embarrassing for all parties involved, the hotel’s solution was to make their employees more aware of how common sleepwalking is and to store more towels at the front desk.
Sleepwalking, which is also known as somnambulism, can begin as soon as a child starts walking, but it typically goes away at about the age of puberty. Though it is more common in children, it can begin at any time during a person’s life, with some cases of adult onset sleepwalking beginning as late as a person’s seventies.
|
The condition affects each person differently with frequencies ranging from very rarely up to multiple times a night for a few nights in a row. It usually occurs in the first third of a night’s sleep, soon after a person reaches the deep stages of sleep, but it can occasionally happen during a daytime nap.
Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, a classification of sleep conditions that involve undesired events that occur during sleep. Sleepwalkers often sit up in bed and look around in a confused, glazed-over state just before walking. During the episodes, the sleepwalker is usually unable to respond to others, but in some cases, sleepwalking is associated with incoherent talking or even shouting.
Episodes vary by the intensity of the actions people perform while sleeping. Mild actions include walking quietly or even performing routine daily actions such as getting a glass of water or brushing one’s teeth. More extreme episodes can involve complex actions such as agitated running or getting into a car and driving away. In these cases, the sleepwalker is likely responding to a threat he/she dreamed or imagined. Some other complex episodes might include inappropriate or even crude behavior including urinating in a trashcan, or acting violently when awoken.
Waking a sleepwalker is very difficult because the sleepwalker often has no recollection of his or her actions. Other times, the sleepwalker might recall small slices of the episode and in even rarer cases, his/her memory will be very clear. Sleepwalkers do not always need to be awoken however. They might return to bed while still sleeping or the sleepwalking state might just end suddenly, which can be awkward for the sleepwalker who awakens outside of his/her bedroom. Older children, in particular, do awaken more easily at the end of an episode but are often very embarrassed because they tend to be more vocal and active during their episodes.
Unfortunately, there is currently no medical cure for sleepwalking. For this reason, it is important for parents to keep a close eye on their children who sleepwalk and take precautions to prevent injury. These preventative measures can be as simple as making sure that doors are locked or putting a gate at the top of the stairs. Sleepwalking rarely indicates a serious medical or psychiatric problem, so treatment is typically unnecessary. However, because the risk of injury is greater in adults, safety precautions should still be a priority. Besides personal injury, the greatest risks can be disrupting the bed partner’s sleep, or causing injury to others in the home.
In order to rule out other sleep conditions and diagnose sleepwalking as an isolated condition, sleep doctors recommend adults participate in an overnight sleep study. During these studies, doctors use a polysomnogram to measure triggers during a patient’s sleep. These triggers can indicate features that increase the tendency for sleepwalking, such as arousals from slow-wave sleep, hypersynchronous delta waves, a decrease in slow-wave sleep power in the first cycle and a higher than expected quantity and percentage of slow-wave sleep.
While sleepwalking cannot be cured, it often goes away once the conditions causing it are resolved. There are many possible causes for sleepwalking, which vary by individual. Contrary to some theories about children and sleepwalking, it is not caused by fear of the dark, anger outbursts, or sleeping alone in a room. It is usually a sign of sleep deprivation, intense emotional issues, irregular sleep schedule, stress, or fever.
Studies have shown that some people might have a genetic predisposition to sleepwalking. The condition is ten times more likely to occur if a first-degree relative has a history of sleepwalking and is more commonly found in identical twins.
A number of medical conditions have also been linked to sleepwalking. In addition to the more common causes such as fever and sleep deprivation, obstructive sleep apnea, abnormal heart rhythms, and migraine headaches can trigger episodes.
Environmental factors also increase the likelihood that sleepwalking will occur. Drugs and alcohol can have a significant effect on sleepwalkers and their actions during episodes. Sedatives that are intended to promote sleep, drugs used to treat psychosis, stimulants that increase activity, and even antihistamines prescribed for allergies can make a sleepwalker more prone to having an episode. Studies on alcohol and sleepwalking have shown an increase in the percentage of slow-wave sleep during patients’ first two to four hours of sleep, which is often a sign that sleepwalking will occur. High blood alcohol contents have also been linked to frequent arousals beginning in slow-wave sleep and throughout the night. Intoxication is also associated with up to 50 percent of all reported violent acts during sleepwalking episodes. Some associations between alcohol and sleepwalking may however be exaggerated because a few of the symptoms are similar. The severely intoxicated are often awake and unaware of their actions during an alcoholic blackout, and blood alcohol content levels above .2 are associated with amnesia.
While the causes and effects of sleepwalking can vary, it is a more widespread issue than most people realize. Once you or a member of your family begins sleepwalking, safety measures should become a focus. From there, consider what could be causing the episodes and attempt to resolve that issue. If the condition persists, consult your physician or a sleep doctor.
printer friendly page
·
|
|
|
"What to know before you wander off"
authored by:
Dr. Joseph Ojile founded and currently serves as Managing Director of the Clayton Sleep Institute. He is also the founder and co-course master for Midwest Updates in Sleep Medicine, a national CME (continuing medical education) program, and the Presi...
|
|
|
