Sleepwalking Disorder Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
The sleepwalking disorder is a disorder in the parasomnia group, which is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal episodes during sleep. Sleepwalking sickness, or medically known as somnambulism, is more common in children than in adults. In addition, this disease is more common when tired or lack of sleep.
Apart from sleeping sickness, other sleep disorders that are also included in the parasomnia group, include:
- Nightmare, which is a sleep disorder characterized by the occurrence of nightmares that feel so real that the sufferer wakes up from sleep feeling very scared.
- Night terrors, sleep disturbances characterized by screaming, crying, kicking during sleep, accompanied by an increased heart rate. When you wake up, you feel that you have had a bad dream but cannot remember the dream at all.
- Sleep paralysis, which is a complaint of not being able to move the body at all when you have just woken up from sleep. For ordinary people, this condition is often referred to as depression.
- Exploding head syndrome (exploding head syndrome ), which is a sleep disorder characterized by the sound of an explosion or loud thump before going to bed or when you are about to wake up. The sound is only heard by the sufferer and not heard by other people nearby.
Sleepwalking Disorder Symptoms
The main symptom that appears in people who have sleepwalking disease is as if getting out of bed and walking around the bedroom, even though he is still in a sleeping state.
Often, the sufferer’s eyes appear open, but there is no eye contact with other people, and the gaze looks blank. And when they really wake up, usually people with sleeping sickness walk around without remembering at all what happened to them
In addition, other symptoms that appear are:
- Speak for yourself
- Couldn’t be woken up
- Looks confused and messy
- Does not respond when spoken to
- Make repetitive movements, such as rubbing your eyes or scratching your head repeatedly
- Bedwetting
In general, sleepwalking is not something that is harmful to health. But it can be dangerous if while sleepwalking, the sufferer walks out of the house, down the stairs, or takes risky actions (for example using a knife or scissors).
Sleepwalking Disorder Reason
The exact cause of sleepwalking is not yet clear. But generally, if there is a history of sleep disorders running in the family, then someone will be more prone to experience it too.
In addition, several other conditions that often trigger sleepwalking are:
- Lack of sleep
- Fatigue
- Messy sleep schedule
- High fever
- stress
Sleepwalking Disorder Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis of sleepwalking disease, the doctor will conduct targeted interviews with the patient and his family regarding the symptoms experienced during sleep. Generally, doctors also ask sufferers and families to keep a sleep diary, for at least two weeks. In the diary, the sufferer writes down what he experienced during sleep. Then the family also wrote down what they saw while the sufferer was sleeping.
Under certain conditions, sometimes a polysomnogram examination is needed, which is an examination that studies brain waves, heart rate, and type of breathing during sleep.
Sleepwalking Disorder Treatment
A sleepwalking disorder that only occurs occasionally does not require special treatment. However, some conditions as below require special attention:
- Sleepwalking occurs almost every day
- This causes the child to be sleepy and unfit all-day
- Sufferers perform dangerous actions while sleeping
If one of the three conditions above occurs, the patient must consult a psychiatrist. Generally, the treatment that will be carried out by a psychiatrist is in the form of hypnosis (if the sufferer is an adult), regulation of sleep rhythms, and administration of sedatives or antidepressants if needed.
In addition, to keep sleepwalking sufferers safe and away from injury during sleep, you should pay attention to these things:
- Do not wake the sufferer because this can cause him to rage or fear. Instead, gently lead him back to his bed.
- Lock all doors and windows. For children, if needed, consider using child safety locks on each door.
- Keep the patient away from dangerous objects (eg sharp differences).
Sleepwalking Disorder Prevention
To prevent episodes of sleepwalking, have good quality sleep, by:
- Relax your body before going to bed, for example by taking a warm bath or listening to soft music
- Make a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time (both naps and bedtime)
- Avoid sleep deprivation
- Avoid consuming caffeine before bedtime
- Make the bedroom atmosphere as comfortable as possible, quiet, and dark