Why Are Some People Who Can Sleep While Walking?

Medical Video: this kid won't believe she's sleep walking...
Sleep while walking is common in children
What is usually done by people while sleeping while walking
What causes sleep while walking?
1. Genetic
2. Environmental factors
3. Medical situation
How to deal with this habit?
Can you wake people who sleep while walking?

Medical Video: this kid won't believe she's sleep walking...

Sleepwalking or sleep habits while walking is a syndrome or deviant behavior that is carried out during sleep. People who have habits sleepwalking, often wake up in the middle of sleep and then take a walk even though they are under their consciousness.

Sleep while walking is common in children

Surveys conducted in the United States show that there are 15% of people who have habits sleepwalking and most of them are children, especially those aged 3 to 7 years. Based on data from The National Sleep Foundation's 2004, at least as many as 1% of children aged under five and 2% of school-age children have habits sleepwalking which is done at least twice a week.

Sleepwalking it could also occur in adolescents, because it carried over from childhood to adolescence. Even a small number of them carry the habit to adulthood, but more are stopped when they are teenagers. Based on research in The Neurology Journal, there were 29.2% of the 19,136 adults who had the habit of sleeping while walking.

What is usually done by people while sleeping while walking

There are four stages when sleeping, 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 is the stage of the dream. In stage 3, it is known as the most important stage in the body's metabolic processes and bone growth. Each stage occurs at least in the duration of 90 to 100 minutes which always recurs every night.

Walking habits usually occur during stages 1 or 2 of sleep, because stage 3 enters the stage of deep sleep or deep sleep. This habit does not occur during naps due to a long nap time. Although you 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, removing items, or going to the bathroom then removing the clothes used. Some even do something quite extreme, namely driving a vehicle when they sleep.

What causes sleep while walking?

Fortunately, this habit is considered a habit that is harmless or has a negative impact on health. Walking habits are not a disorder in mental health, but a normal sleep disorder that can be caused by various factors, such as:

1. Genetic

Apparently, this habit can be 'lowered'. Research shows that sleepwalking tends to occur in twins. In addition, people in their families have a history of doing so sleepwalking, risk 10 times experience later.

2. Environmental factors

Having a habit of sleeping while walking can appear due to lack of sleep, experience stress, irregular sleep, and consume alcohol. In young children, ages 3 to 8 years, lack of sleep, fatigue, and irregular sleep have a high potential to make the child have the habit of sleeping while walking. In addition, other factors that cause this habit are taking drugs such as sleeping pills, tranquilizers, stimulant drugs, and anti-allergic drugs.

3. Medical situation

Various diseases or disorders of body function can also cause sufferers to experience the habit of sleeping while walking, such as:

Conditions during pregnancy and menstruation. These times increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing sleepwalking.
Arrhythmia or abnormal heart rate.
Fever.
Asthma at night.
People who have a habit of snoring loudly or obstructive sleep apnea.
Mental problems or disorders such as multiple personality disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

How to deal with this habit?

Sleep enough time
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

Can you wake people who sleep while walking?

The most common thing is, people around the sufferer sleepwalking afraid to wake him when he was "recurring". Actually waking up a person who is sleeping while walking is not a problem and will not cause bad things, even though when the person is awakened he needs time to come back to 'realize' what he has done.

Instead, waking up people who sleep while walking is a precaution that needs to be done so that the person is protected from injury due to sharp objects around him or because of falling due to being hit by an object.