Table of contents:
- Sleeping while walking is common in children
- What people usually do while sleeping while walking
- What causes sleep walking?
- 1. Genetic
- 2. Environmental factors
- 3. Medical conditions
- How to deal with this habit?
- Is it okay to wake a sleeping person while walking?
Sleepwalking or the habit of sleeping while walking is a syndrome or deviant behavior that is carried out while sleeping. People who have habits sleepwalking, often wake up in the middle of sleep and then take a walk even though they are subconsciously.
Sleeping while walking is common in children
A survey conducted in the United States shows that there are 15% of people who have the habit sleepwalking and most of them are children, especially those aged 3 to 7 years. Based on data The National Sleep Foundation's In 2004, at least 1% of children under five and 2% of school age children have a habit sleepwalking which is done at least 2 times a week.
Sleepwalking it can also happen to adolescents, because they are carried away by the habit from childhood to adolescence. Even a small proportion of them carry the habit into adulthood, but more of them stop when they are teenagers. Based on research in The Neurology Journal, there are 29.2% of 19,136 adults who have the habit of sleeping while walking.
What people usually do while sleeping while walking
There are four stages during sleep, namely stages 1 to 3 and the fourth stage is referred to as non-rapid eye movement (NREM). While the REM stage or rapid eye movement are the stages in which dreams occur. In the 3rd stage, it is known as the most important stage in the body's metabolic processes and bone growth. Each stage occurs at least 90 to 100 minutes in duration which always repeats itself every night.
The habit of sleeping while walking usually appears during sleep stages 1 or 2, because stage 3 enters the stage of deep or deep sleep. This habit does not occur in naps because of the long nap time. Even though they can do activities such as walking or even talking while sleeping, people who have this habit will not remember the incident. People with habits sleepwalking can do various things, such as walking around the room, moving things, or going to the bathroom and then taking off the clothes used. Some even do things that are quite extreme, namely driving a vehicle while sleeping.
What causes sleep walking?
Fortunately, this habit is considered a habit that is not dangerous or has adverse health effects. The habit of sleeping while walking is not a disturbance in mental health, but a normal sleep disorder that can be caused by various factors, such as:
1. Genetic
As it turns out, this habit can be "passed down". Research shows that sleepwalking tends to occur in twins. In addition, people in their families have a history of doing it sleepwalking, risk 10 times experience it at a later date.
2. Environmental factors
Having a habit of sleeping while walking can arise due to lack of sleep, stress, irregular sleep, and alcohol consumption. In young children, ages 3 to 8 years, lack of sleep, fatigue, and irregular sleep time have high potential for these children to have a habit of sleeping while walking. In addition, another factor that causes this habit is taking drugs such as sleeping pills, sedatives, stimulants, and anti-allergic drugs.
3. Medical conditions
Various diseases or body function disorders can also cause sufferers to experience sleeping habits while walking, such as:
- Conditions during pregnancy and menstruation. This period increases a woman's chances of experiencing it sleepwalking.
- Arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat.
- Fever.
- Asthma at night.
- People who have the habit of loud snoring or obstructive sleep apnea.
- Mental problems or disorders such as multiple personality disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.
How to deal with this habit?
- Get enough sleep
- Avoid stress by doing relaxation and meditation
- Avoid simulations before bedtime, such as watching tv or listening to loud sounds.
- Lock all doors and windows
- Eliminate potential hazards in the room, such as glassware and sharp items
Is it okay to wake a sleeping person while walking?
The most common thing is, the people around the sufferer sleepwalking afraid to wake him up when he is "reluctant". Actually waking a person who is sleeping while walking is not a problem and will not cause a bad thing, even though when the person is awakened he needs time to come back "aware" of what he has done.
In fact, waking a person who is sleeping while walking is a precaution that needs to be done so that the person avoid injury due to sharp objects around him or from falling due to being hit by an object.
