Introduction

Sleepwalking is when someone walks or carries out complex activities while not fully awake.

It usually occurs during a period of deep sleep. This is at its height during the early part of the night, so it tends to occur in the first few hours after falling asleep.

Sleepwalking can start at any age, but is more common in children. It's thought that at least 20% of children will sleepwalk at least once. Most will grow out of it by the time they reach puberty , but it can sometimes persist into adult life.

This page explains:

Sleepwalking

What happens when a person sleepwalks

What to doif youfind someone sleepwalking

When to seek medical advice

Treatments forsleepwalking

Preventing accidents

Why some people sleepwalk

The exact cause of sleepwalking is unknown, but it seems to run in families. Youre more likely to sleepwalk if other members of your close family have or had sleepwalking behaviours or night terrors.

The following things can trigger sleepwalking or make it worse:

  • not getting enough sleep
  • stress and anxiety
  • infection with a fever (especially in children)
  • drinking too much alcohol
  • taking recreational drugs
  • certain types of medication, such as some sedatives
  • being startled by a sudden noise or touch, causing abrupt waking from deep sleep
  • waking up suddenly from deep sleep because you need to go to the toilet

Other sleep disorders that can cause you to frequently wake up suddenly during the night, such as obstructive sleep apnoea and restless legs syndrome , can also trigger a sleepwalking episode.

Taking steps to prevent some of these triggers, such as making sure you get enough sleep and working on strategies to deal with and reduce stress, will often help (see treatments forsleepwalking below).

What  happens when a person sleepwalks

Some episodes of sleepwalking may involve the person just sitting up in bed and looking around, briefly appearing confused, while in others the person may get out of bed and walk about, open cupboards, get dressed or eat, and may appear agitated. In extreme cases, the person may walk out of the house and carry out complex activities, such as driving a car.

While sleepwalking, the eyes are usually open, though the person will look straight through people and not recognise them. They can often manoeuvre well around familiar objects.

If you talk to a person who is sleepwalking, they may partially respond or say things that don't make sense.

Most sleepwalking episodes last less than 10 minutes, but can be longer. At the end of each episode, the person may wake up or they may return to bed and go to sleep. They won't normally have any memory of it in the morning or have patchy memory. If woken while sleepwalking, the person may feel confused and not remember what happened.

What to do if you find someone sleepwalking

The best thing to do if you see someone sleepwalking is to make sure they are safe.

Gently guide them back to bed by reassuring them. If undisturbed, they will often go back to sleep again. Sometimes, gently waking the person after they have fully come out of the episode, before settling them back to sleep, will prevent another episode occurring from the same deep sleep cycle.

Don't shout or startle the person and don't try to physically restrain them unless they're in danger, as they may lash out.

When to seek medical advice

Occasional sleepwalking episodes don't usually need medical attention. Sleepwalking is rarely a sign of anything serious and may get better with time, particularly inchildren.

However, you should consider seeing your GP if the sleepwalking episodes occur frequently, you're concerned the person may be at risk of injuring themselves or others, or the episodes continue or start in adult life.

Your GP may refer you to a specialist sleep centre, where your or your child's sleep history can be discussed in more detail, and, if appropriate, sleep studies arranged to exclude other conditions that could be triggering the sleepwalking, such as obstructive sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome.

Preventing accidents

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 they could trip over. It's also a good idea to keep windows and doors locked.

If your child sleepwalks, don't let them sleep on the top bed of abunk bed. You may want to fit safety gates at the top of the stairs.

It's also important to let babysitters, relatives or friends who look after your child at night know that your childmay sleepwalk, and what they should do if it happens.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 28 Nov 2016