How To Cope With Sleep Walking(With Videos)

How To Cope With Sleep Walking

Sleep walking is a very dangerous disorder for the sleep walker and the family. Although the researchers say that there is no cure for sleep walking, there are ways to help prevent the problem and keep the sleep walker safe. It is a behavior disorder that starts during deep sleep and results in doing activities like walking and or performing other behaviors while still asleep. It is more common in children than in adults.

Symptoms

Sleep walking symptoms include sleep talking, not responding when spoken to, little or no memory of the event, complex behavior, screaming, urinating in undesirable places and sometimes violent attacks on the person who is trying to awaken the sleep walker. Although their eyes are open their expression seems dim and glazed. Sleep walking may last for as little as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes.

Causes

The exact cause of sleep walking is unknown but it seems it may run in families. Sleep walkers have no memory of their condition so it may be unnoticed for some time. Common causes of sleep walking include sleep deprivation, some emotional problems, drinking too much alcohol, taking recreational drugs, certain types of medication, increased stress or anxiety, fever, going to bed with full bladder, fatigue and some underlying medical problem. This disorder can be quite disturbing if you don’t know what you are dealing with.

Precautions

Some precautions are necessary to protect the person who is in the habit of sleep walking. Preventing injury is the most important thing to do in such cases. It’s important to keep the areas of your home where a person may sleepwalk free of breakable or potentially harmful objects and to remove any items that they could trip over. It’s also a good idea to keep windows and doors locked. You can place an alarm on the bedroom door. Keep car keys out of reach and do not forget gun safety measures. Basically keep the sleeping environment safe from any harmful or sharp objects.

Treatment

Treatment for sleepwalking isn’t usually necessary. If you notice your child or anyone else in your household sleepwalking, gently lead him or her back to bed. Most children grow out of sleep walking by the time they are teenagers. If it is caused by underlying medical or mental health condition then it has to be treated by the doctor. Treatment for adults who sleepwalk may include hypnosis. Above all, be positive. However disruptive, sleepwalking usually isn’t a serious condition and it usually goes away on its own.