Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking
Somnambulism
John Everett Millais, The Somnambulist, 1871
SpecialtySleep medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness.[1] It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family.[2] It occurs during the slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of low consciousness, with performance of activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. These activities can be as benign as talking, sitting up in bed, walking to a bathroom, consuming food, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving a motor vehicle,[3][4][5] violent gestures and grabbing at hallucinated objects.[6]

Although sleepwalking cases generally consist of simple, repeated behaviors, there are occasionally reports of people performing complex behaviors while asleep, although their legitimacy is often disputed.[7] Sleepwalkers often have little or no memory of the incident, as their consciousness has altered into a state in which memories are difficult to recall. Although their eyes are open, their expression is dim and glazed over.[8] This may last from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.[6]

Sleepwalking occurs during slow-wave sleep (N3) of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM sleep) cycles. It typically occurs within the first third of the night when slow-wave sleep is most prominent.[8] Usually, it will occur once in a night, if at all.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ICD-10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DSM-V was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "I went driving and motorbiking in my sleep". BBC News. 2017-12-11. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  4. ^ "SLEEP: Sex While Sleeping Is Real, and May Be No Joke", Michael Smith (June 19, 2006), MedPage Today, access date 18 February 2022
  5. ^ "SLEEP: Sex While Sleeping Is Real, and May Be No Joke". www.medpagetoday.com. 19 June 2006. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  6. ^ a b c Swanson, Jenifer, ed. "Sleepwalking". Sleep Disorders Sourcebook. MI: Omnigraphics, 1999. 249–254, 351–352.
  7. ^ Rachel Nowak (15 October 2004). "Sleepwalking woman had sex with strangers". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  8. ^ a b Lavie, Peretz, Atul Malhotra, and Giora Pillar. Sleep disorders: diagnosis, management and treatment: a handbook for clinicians. London: Martin Dunitz, 2002. 146–147.

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