Wandering about the hallways and muttering incoherently at night are indicative of sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 12, according to PubMed Health. By the time they hit adolescence, many children no longer exhibit these nighttime activities. If your child sleepwalks, there's usually no cause for alarm. Still, making the environment as safe as possible for him should be the goal.
Understanding Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, which means it's a behavior that disrupts normal sleep patterns. The most common forms of parasomnia are arousal disorders, including sleepwalking and night terrors, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The sleep cycle has four stages in addition to a period known as REM sleep. You go through four to five of these cycles during the night; each one lasts 90 to 100 minutes. Sleepwalking occurs during the deeper periods of sleep, primarily stages 3 and 4. Each incidence in children can last just seconds up to 30 minutes.
What's Happening
Not getting enough sleep, stress, fever, illness and taking certain medications are all linked to sleepwalking in children, according to KidsHealth. Kids who sleepwalk may do much more than roam through the house. They complete tasks and carry on conversations, although their statements and behaviors are nonsensical. Sitting up in bed talking and performing repetitive motions are also signs of this parasomnia. Because kids are exhibiting this behavior during the deep sleep stages, they are often unresponsive to others; they are difficult to wake up despite the fact that their eyes are open.
Family Connection
Sleepwalking is more common in children who have a family history of the behavior. It turns out that a genetic link may be the culprit, according to a study appearing in the journal "Neurology" in January 2011. The researchers found that nine sleepwalking participants from the same family all had a certain group of genetic markers on chromosome 20. An earlier study, published in the June 2003 issue of "Pediatrics," suggested that sleepwalking in prepubescent children is associated with sleep-disordered breathing and restless leg syndrome. The study's authors note that both conditions are known to have familial links.
Safety
Most children do not get hurt while sleepwalking. Kids who move about the home or engage in physical tasks do have the potential to injury themselves; however. If your child sleepwalks, don't let him sleep in a bunk bed or near breakable, dangerous objects. Ensure the windows are locked and keep house and car keys in a safe location away from her. Consider using safety gates at stairways and in your child's doorway to prevent roaming. Don't try to wake a sleepwalking child as this could scare him.
References
- Chidren's Hospital of Philadelphia: Parasomnias
- KidsHealth: Sleepwalking
- Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom; Researchers Find Genetic Link to Sleepwalking; Beth Miller; February 2011
- "Pediatrics"; Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors in Prepubertal Children: What Triggers Them?; Christian Guilleminault, MD; January 2003
- PubMed Health: Sleepwalking
