Sleepwalking disorder or somnambulism occurs during arousals from slow-wave sleep. It is the abnormal arousal during the deep non-REM phase of the sleep cycle and is classified among parasomnias.
Sleepwalking disorder: Causes and Symptoms
Factors that have been identified as somnambulism causes are sleep loss, sedatives, and alcohol and sleep disturbance factors. Some of the common behaviors that have been identified among sleepwalkers are confusion and inappropriate behavior. Other behaviors like agitation and frenzy are predominant during sleep terrors that coexist with sleepwalking disorder. A sleepwalking person usually gets out of bed and walks around in an altered state of consciousness and impaired judgment, or can exhibit fear and cry or scream.
Complicated actions including cooking and driving a car are possible during sleepwalking episodes. Sleepwalking disorder research is ongoing to identify violent, homicidal, sexual, and criminal behaviors attributed to sleepwalking disorder, which is very different from other psychogenic disorders.
Sleepwalking disorder Breakthroughs
Recent breakthroughs in sleepwalking disorder research have shown that it is physically safe to awaken people with sleepwalking disorder. Somnambulism affects children more regularly than adults, and results show that the frequency of somnambulism is more common in boys than girls.
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