Health – Rhapsody

The other day, somebody told me about a strange episode that occurred with his daughter. I am narrating it as narrated by him.

Around 12:20 AM, during my nighttime social media scrolling, my daughter suddenly woke up and started saying a few jumbled words while sitting on the bed. I could make out a few mumbling words like “kya hai (asking a question)” in the speech. She spoke only two words, mainly shortened questions, as if she were talking to somebody. I told her to go to sleep. I am not sure if she could hear it, but she did lie down.

After a gap of about 15 to 20 minutes, during which I went on scrolling through social media,. She suddenly stood up from the bed, went straight to the door, which opened with some effort, mind you, and stepped out.

I waited a bit and then went out, opening the door. Thankfully, she was only standing there, looking towards the door. Her big, black eyes were wide open, looking at the door around my waist. I opened the door and stepped away, unknowingly not disturbing her. She went back to the bed and instantly lied down, letting out a sigh or a hissing sound while lying down again and sleeping straight away.

Thankfully, he did not wake her up, as he learned later that it can be harmful to the child.

Listening to the above story, I decided to do some research on the subject. Opening the search engine, I sought a remedy for my confusion and surely found it there. The internet informed me that this act of sleepwalking is common in children and dies out in teens. I have shared the researched information and presented it for easy understanding and cognizance.

What is Sleepwalking?

Somnambulism is the official name. I do not know what the etymology behind it is. Defined as a sleep disorder where a person gets up, walks around, and performs basic tasks, all while sleeping!

As per scientific research, it mostly happens during the deep sleep stages, and involves a disconnect between brain functions. Here, the brain is less active, but the body can still move.

This is how the child managed to go straight past her father without noticing him, and open the door by herself. I have even read that people have committed crimes during their sleepwalking adventures!

What related people should know about it?

People who are sleepwalking may sit up in bed, open their eyes, have a glazed, glassy-eyed expression (that is what I saw in my girl), not respond or communicate with others, be difficult to wake up during an episode, and be disoriented or confused when awakened.

They may perform routine activities, such as getting dressed, talking, or eating, leave the house, drive a car, engage in unusual behavior, such as urinating in a closet, engage in sexual activity without awareness, get injured, or become violent during the period of brief confusion immediately after waking up.

Causes

It turns out that the factors contributing to sleepwalking include genetics, sleep deprivation, stress, and some medications

Numerous factors can contribute to sleepwalking, including sleep deprivation, stress, fever, sleep schedule disruptions, travel or sleep interruptions, underlying conditions that interfere with sleep, such as sleep-disordered breathing or restless legs syndrome, and substance use, such as alcohol. Sleepwalking appears to run in families and is more common if one or both parents have a history of the disorder.

Sleep paralysis is another disorder, which is commonly the opposite, where one cannot move or coordinate the organs even when he is awake. Sleep paralysis is a brief period of paralysis occurring during transitions between sleeping and waking. There is no established connection between the two; however, I earlier wrote an article on my personal experience with it at https://raihaan.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/my-body-haunts-me/

Should you be worried?

Children are more prone to sleepwalking, but it usually diminishes by the time they reach their teenage years. Isolated incidents rarely signal serious problems. Recurrent episodes may indicate an underlying sleep disorder. In adults, sleepwalking could be confused with other sleep disorders and medical conditions.

Disorders of arousal (DOA) refer to a group of sleep disorders. Sleepwalking is classified as an arousal disorder, happening during the deepest stage of NREM sleep. NREM, which stands for non-rapid eye movement sleep, is the deepest stage of sleep where your body is most relaxed and recharges itself.

In NREM sleep, brain waves slow down, breathing and heart rate stabilize, and muscles relax. This is the period when your body fixes tissues, constructs muscles and bones, and enhances your immune system. Examples of other NREM disorders include sleep terrors, which can occur alongside sleepwalking.

While sleepwalking may not be a concern, individuals who sleepwalk can harm themselves or others and experience disrupted sleep. Occasional episodes of sleepwalking typically don’t raise major concerns and may not necessitate immediate intervention. However, it’s advisable to reach out to a healthcare professional if the sleepwalking episodes happen frequently, result in hazardous behavior or harm, or are linked to other sleep disorders or medical issues.