Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder effecting an estimated 10 percent of all humans at least once in their lives (1). This widespread phenomenon varies in its intensity and frequency. While most sleepwalking incidents are short and not dangerous, some can involve self-injury and are much more dangerous for the sleeper. Also, most interestingly, the disorder seems to stem from many different sources, not from one definable cause such as a chemical imbalance. While it is predominantly pre-adolescents who suffer from somnambulism, it is also observed in adults, although the frequency and severity of incidents increase with age. The source of the disorder was once thought to be entirely psychological and an extension of dreaming. It is now understood to be a complex combination of one or more factors, such as psychological and physiological factors as well as chemical interference (such as alcohol and drug abuse) (3). The source of the sleepwalking behavior varies according to age with the younger sufferers having more physiological problems which they grow out of, while older somnambulists, stress and substance abuse play a larger role.

Somnambulism is most common among children from the ages of 4 to 12 (3). Estimates for the percentage of the population which will sleepwalk at least once in their lifetime range quite a bit. Some sources say that most children will walk in their sleep at least once, with 15% sleepwalking more regularly (3). Others claim that 18% of the population is "prone to sleepwalking" (9). There is consensus, however, on the fact that boys sleepwalk more frequently than girls and that it is between the ages of 11 and 12 that the most cases of sleepwalking are reported (9). The fact that most ...

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3)"Night Flying-An Overview of the Parasomnias." By Mark Mahowald and Carlos H. Schenck.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/sma1.1.html

4) "The Sleep Disorders of Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking." By Jennifer Meuller.

http://www.augustana.ab.ca/Gackenbach/psy473/sleep.htm

5)"Paroxysmal Disorders."

http://kidshealth.org/parent/healthy/sleep_disorder.html

6)"Sleep."

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/nos.html

7)"Sleepwalking."

http://www.icondata.com/health/pedbase/files/SLEEPWAL.HTM

8)"Sleepwalking Disorder."

http://www.cmhc.com/disorders/sx93.htm

9)"Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)."

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/para.html

10)"Somnambulism (Sleepwalking): Guidelines for the Primary Care Provider."

http://www-nmcp.med.navy.mil/neurolog/guidesw.htm