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Sleepwalking
Last edited |
10/22/2008
Sleepwalking is a series of complex behaviors executed during the
slow-wave sleep
It occurs mainly during the first third of the night (2 to 3 hours after falling
asleep).
Episodes range from simple behaviors, like sitting in the bed, to complex
activities such as climbing the stairs, cooking, or going outside the house.
The episode may cease
spontaneously and the sleepwalker will return to bed or lies down and continue
sleeping.
Upon awakening, the
sleepwalker usually keeps no memory of the episode.
Sleepwalking occurs primarily in childhood and normally ceases by adolescence.
The prevalence was estimated to be between 5% and 30% for occasional or frequent
episodes of somnambulism in children.
In the adult general population, the prevalence of sleepwalking was estimated at
2% to 5%.
These studies showed that sleepwalking is not gender-related but
is more common among younger subjects (<25 years) and almost never reported by
elderly persons.
The most dramatic
consequence of sleepwalking is the harm that sleepwalkers can inflict on
themselves or others.
Cases of murder during
sleepwalking episodes have been documented.
Research The purpose of the present study was twofold:
We used a representative sample of the UK population (N=4972)
that was interviewed by telephone with the Sleep-EVAL system.
Results
 Sleepwalking was reported by 2.0% (95% CI:
1.6% to 2.4%) of the sample.
Sleepwalking decreased significantly with age,
but no gender difference was observed.
Multivariate models identified the following independent
factors as associated with sleepwalking:
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age less than 45 years (Odds Ratio (OR) 6.8 for 15-24
years and OR: 3.3 for 25-44 years),
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subjective sense of choking or blocked breathing at
night (OR: 4.4),
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sleep talking (OR: 4.5), and
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a road accident in the past year (OR: 2.9).
Mental stress and specific life
events have been reported to trigger or increase the frequency of sleepwalking
episodes and night terrors.
We observed
higher rates of stressful events and mental stress in the past year in our
sleepwalkers, compared to the rest of the sample.
A finding of particular interest is the very high rate of
past-year road accidents in the youngest group of sleepwalkers.
One can
hypothesize that driving accidents play a triggering role in the appearance of
sleepwalking episodes.
The numerous case reports in the literature of self-injuries, death or murders
during episodes of sleepwalking attest to the potentially serious consequences
of this sleep problem.
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Sleep-EVAL
Research
