Sleepwalking

• Sleepwalking Overview
• Sleepwalking Causes
• Sleepwalking Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Sleepwalking Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Medications
• Other Therapy
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• For More Information
• Web Links
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors
• Related sleep walking articles:
  Sleep walking - on WebMD
  Sleep walking - on MedicineNet

Sleepwalking Overview

Sleepwalking is a disorder characterized by complicated actions that result in walking during sleep. Sleepwalking behavior can range from simply getting out of bed and walking around the room to driving a car. Sleepwalking usually occurs during the slow-wave stages of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (stages of sleep in which eye movement does not take place; for details of stages of sleep see Sleep: Understanding the Basics). Persons affected with this disorder usually have their eyes wide open in a stare.

Episodes of sleepwalking typically occur during deep sleep (stages III and IV or slow wave sleep; for details of stages of sleep see Sleep: Understanding the Basics). Episodes of sleepwalking are also known to occur during all stages of NREM sleep and at any time during the night. Since most slow wave sleep occurs earlier in the night, sleepwalking is usually seen in the first one third of the sleep cycle and rarely during naps. The person is unable to respond during the event and does not remember the event. In some cases, it is associated with incoherent talking.

Sleepwalking occurs most commonly in middle childhood and preadolescence, with a peak incidence in children aged 11-12 years. This sleep disorder can have a genetic tendency and tends to run in families. Sleepwalking often lasts into adulthood.

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