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Sleepwalking

A very good morning I bid to my beloved lecturer, En. Zulkifli bin Mohd Zain, and my

fellow friends in the class. Have you ever heard of sleepwalking? Do you know what is

sleepwalking? The topic Im going to talk about today is sleepwalking. If you never heard of

sleepwalking, you should be lending me your ears because it might indicate health problems.

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a sleep

disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalking may last as little as 30 secondsor as long as 30 minutes. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of

low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full

consciousness. These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, walking to the

bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, violent gestures, grabbing at

hallucinated objects, or even homicide.

Sleepwalking occurs in approximately 15% of the population. However, adult

sleepwalking affects only one percent and most adult sleepwalkers began the disorder

during childhood.

What causes sleepwalking? For some people, sleep walking is an inherited condition.

For children it may also be related to a stage of development. Not getting enough sleep,

having irregular sleep hours, stress, drugs and some medicines increase the risk of

sleepwalking. According to recent research from the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland,

sleepwalking may be a genetic disorder. In addition, medical conditions such as sleep

apnoea, seizures and fever can contribute to the likelihood of sleepwalking. If you are prone

to sleepwalking, then sounds that disturb your sleep can also make you sleepwalk. However,

not uncommonly a cause cannot be found.

Sleepwalking occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. This is

also the dream stage of sleep. Under normal conditions, as soon as the sleeper slips into the

REM sleep, the body becomes paralysed to protect the person from acting out his/her

dreams. However, in sleepwalking, this paralysis does not occur, leaving the personvulnerable to harming himself or even others as he tries to enact his dreams.

This is the opposite of the disorder known as sleep paralysis where the victim

awakens while his body is paralysed. This disorder is often accompanied by vivid and

frightening hallucinations as the sleeper brings his dreams with him into the waking world.

Research continues into the relationship between genes and various sleep disorders.

One can only hope that this research may eventually result in adequate treatments or even

cures for these disorders.

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During the course of a normal night of sleep, the human brain switches between

deep and light sleep, and dreaming sleep (REM), several times. Confusional arousals occur

when the brain becomes divided, literally, between sleeping and waking. Part of the brain

wakes up, but another part remains deep asleep.

During confusional arousal, a sleeper may sit up in bed, talk, scream, or even leave

the bed and wander around the proverbial sleepwalking. A sleepwalkers behaviourmay

be calm or it may be agitated. Occasionally it can be violent. If a sleepwalker risks injuring

himself or herself, treatment for the disorder should be sought immediately from a specialist

in sleep medicine.

A confusional arousal may last as long as twenty minutes, but usually is briefer. The

sufferer of a confusional arousal returns to sleep without a full awakening and will have no

recollection of the arousal the following day.

Confusional arousals are believed to be a normal feature of the development of the

brain sleep-stage switching mechanism, provided that they occur roughly three times a year

or less, and are out-grown by early adulthood. As development of the sleep-stage switching

mechanism occurs during the period from infancy to about ten years, confusional arousals

are most common in this age group.

In a child, sleepwalking may just be part of growing up. Parents should be able to

comfort the child and direct him/her back to bed after they sleepwalk. With time, they tend to

grow out of it. Action should be taken only if it happens too often and has a big impact on the

child. This might be if they feel tired during the day from a lack of sleep or they are at risk of

injuring themselves.

In adults who sleepwalk, it is important to have good sleep. This may reduce the

frequency of sleepwalking. Occasionally, sleeping tablets may be used, but this should be

discussed with a doctor. Keeping a soft light on in the room of a sleeper, who is prone to

arousals, may also help prevent the events. In the morning, the sleeper will not remember

his or her episode.

Current research confirms the validity of popular lore about sleepwalkers that one

should not attempt to awaken them. Despite the open eyes, despite the calm walking around

the house, sleepwalkers actually are deeply asleep. The recommended strategy is to

prevent them from leaving the house, and to protect them from other harm, which includes

knocking into furniture or falling down stairways.

Are you a sleepwalker?