What Is Sleepwalking?

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What Is Sleepwalking?
Have you ever found yourself traipsing through
the house in the middle of the night, with no
memory of what you were doing or how you got
there? It is possible you may have been one of
the millions of people around the world partial
to sleepwalking. A very common condition, but how
much do we know about it? Sleepwalking, often
otherwise referred to as noctambulism or
somnambulism is a type of sleep disorder from
the parasomnia family. A state where a person
carries out tasks while being asleep and not
completely awake at the same time.
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If you are among the scores of people in the UK
who sleepwalk, it usually takes place during deep
sleep, while experiencing low consciousness.
Generally, you will sleepwalk through the
slow-wave sleep stage of non-rapid eye movement
sleep, also known as NREM. You will reach your
peak at the beginning of the night, where you may
start sleepwalking in the first few hours after
falling asleep. This is when you can perform
everyday activities when asleep which you would
usually do when awake. Ranging from talking out
loud, to sitting up in bed or walking around the
house, from going to the bathroom to wandering
about in the dark. Furthermore, you could
reportedly carry out more complex tasks when
sleepwalking, from cooking to reaching for
imaginary items and even getting in the car and
trying to drive, amongst other instances.
However, in many cases, you will only sleepwalk
once a night, where it may last from 30 seconds
to less than ten minutes or occasionally longer,
and you may not remember what you did.
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Your eyes may be open, and you could have a
glazed, blank look, which can be disconcerting.
Sleepwalking can impact your special awareness
and knowledge of your environment, as well as
your judgement and problem-solving capability,
which could have potentially harmful
consequences. It is not uncommon for people to
suffer falls, or cuts and bruises when they have
been waking in their sleep, so you should watch
out. People of all ages can experience
sleepwalking, but the majority of cases are found
in children, where 20 of youngsters in the UK
will sleepwalk on at least one occasion in their
life. The majority will stop sleepwalking when
they get to puberty, but it can often continue
when they grow up. However, it is not known what
exactly causes sleepwalking, although some
suggest it runs in families. Many believe you may
have a greater chance of sleepwalking if you have
an irregular sleep pattern or are woken abruptly
from a deep sleep, often by a loud noise.
Children may be prone to sleepwalking if they are
suffering from a fever, or if they are afflicted
with another sleep disorder such as restless leg
syndrome. There have also been instances of
people living with anxiety and depression, as
well as grown-ups abusing drugs, alcohol or
prescription medication like sedatives, to
sleepwalk.
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It is a state which affects all age groups across
the UK. Many do not fully appreciate how much of
an inconvenience it can be, but if you tend to
sleepwalk, you can avoid mishap or injury with
the help of family and friends. They can keep a
close eye on you while you sleepwalk to prevent
any accidents, which could see you through your
night-time excursions in safety.
The Original article Published at Beds Glasgow
Blog -
https//bedsglasgow.com/what-is-sleepwalking/