Sleepwalking (somnambulism) is a fairly common phenomenon. Millions of people around the world sleepwalk from time to time. What happens is that the area of ​​the brain responsible for motor functions, for one reason or another remains active during sleep.

Causes of sleepwalking

The causes of sleepwalking for an adult can be: severe stress, serious illness, epilepsy, various anxiety states. If attacks of sleepwalking occur periodically, then there is nothing wrong with that. If a person goes for walks regularly, then he should visit a doctor to try to find out and eliminate the cause of his sleepwalking

In children, everything is somewhat different; in general, it is children who often suffer from sleepwalking. However, this most often goes away with age. As a rule, somnambulism manifests itself in children with the onset of puberty. This may be due to the huge flow of information loading baby brain, With nervous tension and experiences. At the same time, children suffering from sleepwalking are absolutely mentally healthy
There is an opinion that in addition to the above reasons, heredity can influence the manifestations of somnambulism. Therefore, if one of the parents suffers from sleepwalking, there is a high probability that his child will also sooner or later be drawn to a “walk”
How does sleepwalking manifest itself?

Sleepwalking manifests itself in one form or another motor activity. In milder forms of sleepwalking, a person may simply sit up in bed or stand up and start wandering around the room. In more serious cases, the sleepwalker can develop much more vigorous activity, for example, start getting ready somewhere, go to the kitchen and make a sandwich, or start doing some household chores. Sometimes it may seem that such a person is awake and not sleepwalking. This happens because many sleepwalkers often wander with with open eyes, and can even answer questions from others. As a rule, the movements of sleepwalkers are smooth and unhurried, but it also happens that a person is very excited about something, then his movements become impetuous and unpredictable, at such a moment it is better not to approach the sleepwalker.

The whole danger of sleepwalking lies in the fact that a person in an unconscious state can harm himself or, less commonly, others. A “night traveler” may fall out of a window, mistaking it for a door, may injure himself on some objects, especially for children, may get behind the wheel of a car and drive somewhere, which will most likely inevitably lead to an accident, may take some sharp object, for example, a knife and injure yourself or someone close to you with it, in particular in an excited state as described above, or you can simply go outside in only slippers and go in an unknown direction.
But no matter what the somnambulist does in his sleep, after waking up he remembers absolutely nothing.
How to keep a sleepwalker as safe as possible?

Remove all obstacles in the form of chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture from the path of the sleepwalker

Do not leave any sharp objects or glass items in the room that a sleepwalker could break. As well as any items that may pose a danger
Close windows and doors, in some cases you may even have to resort to bars and locks
If your house has a staircase, you need to build a fence in front of it
What to do if you see someone sleepwalking?

Firstly, do not wake the sleeping person. You should approach the person quietly and very carefully try to guide him to the bed. If a person behaves restlessly, then it is better not to touch him, but to make sure that he does not harm himself. You won’t have to watch the sleepwalker all night; as a rule, such walks do not last more than half an hour.

In order to warn possible attack sleepwalking should:

Keep a daily routine, go to bed and get up at the same time.
A few hours before going to bed, you need to relax and calm your nervous system.
If you watch TV, limit yourself to something neutral, no action or horror films. You can listen to calm music before bed. If we're talking about about your child, do not allow him to play outdoor games before bedtime. Try to get your child to calm down before bed.
Try to sleep in complete silence. If for some reason this is not possible, use earplugs.
Don't drink a lot of fluids at night, and go to the toilet before going to bed.

How dangerous is the state of somnambulism, how to behave with a sleepwalker when he walks in his sleep? The whole truth and myths about those who don't quite sleep at night.

We were probably all told as children that sleepwalkers, when they walk in their sleep, should not be woken up, talked to or touched. They frightened us with various horror stories and explained how a person walks in his sleep mystical reasons. But what is sleepwalking (somnambulism) really? So, let's try to figure out who lunatics are, what real reasons their behavior, and how to behave correctly with a person who walks while in an unconscious state.

Somnambulism or sleepwalking- This is a very unusual condition in which a person can move or perform other actions while in a dream. Outwardly, people suffering from somnambulism appear to be awake and behave quite adequately. After waking up, they do not remember anything about what they did in the dream, and learn about their condition from third parties.

A sleepwalker can be identified by slow and smooth movements and a slightly blurred gaze. The actions that somnambulists perform in their sleep usually depend on what they feel. at the moment dreams, or what they imagine. It is believed that at least 2 percent of people today suffer from somnambulism. At the same time, most sleepwalkers are completely harmless and perform simple actions that are familiar to them.

Why can't sleepwalkers be woken up in their sleep?

Why you can’t wake up sleepwalkers is a question that interests people to this day. In fact, sleepwalking is a strange and mysterious phenomenon. Our ancestors associated it with the influence of the moon, believing that it was the moon that made a person get out of bed and wander around in an unconscious state, performing strange actions. Due to a lack of understanding of the causes of sleepwalking, many myths and beliefs have arisen. One of the most common legends is that sleepwalkers should not be awakened.

What happens if you wake up a sleepwalker?

In fact, if you wake up a sleepwalker, nothing bad should happen. The main thing is not to do it too abruptly, so as not to scare the sleeping person. Most sleepwalkers are difficult to wake up. This requires a lot of time and effort. True, some wake up from ordinary handling or touch, but this is rather an exception to the rule.

At the moment of awakening, a person suffering from somnambulism usually doesn’t understand what happened and where he is. This is the only danger, because the sleepwalker himself may get scared and behave inappropriately. The most important thing is to immediately explain to the person what is happening and that he has nothing to fear. You should also approach the awakening process carefully so as not to run into aggression caused by defensive reaction sleeping.

Is it possible to wake up sleepwalkers: dangers and risks?

Sometimes the danger of sleepwalking is that the sleeping person can climb onto a roof, go down stairs, or even get behind the wheel of a car. In these cases, you should be extremely careful so that at the moment of awakening the sleepwalker did not harm himself or those around him. Most often, people suffering from somnambulism are not aggressive and do not intentionally harm anyone. Tragic cases are quite rare and are mostly associated with uncontrolled actions, rather than intentions to cause harm.

What is sleepwalking? Symptoms and manifestations

Word "sleepwalking" or "somnambulism" translated from Latin language means "walking in a dream". This syndrome appears quite unexpectedly. So, sleepwalkers, i.e. people suffering from somnambulism move in their sleep or perform certain actions without realizing what is happening. After awakening, somnambulists usually do not remember what happened to them during sleep. Outwardly, they resemble waking people, only sometimes giving themselves away with a blurred look or not entirely logical actions.

Ancient people believed that such behavior was associated with the influence of the moon on humans. This was sometimes associated with the full moon, although somnambulism often occurs during other lunar phases. Doctors consider somnambulism one of the sleep disorders. The cause of somnambulism is called neurophysiological processes that cause partial awakening of a person.

In fact, somnambulism or sleepwalking is quite common. Thus, statistical data indicate that such a violation manifests itself in more than 2% of the human population, most often in children. The exact causes of sleepwalking are not known. Scientists are confident that this disease is not mental and is rather a variety nervous disorders in impressionable people individual characteristics brain function.

How do sleepwalkers behave?

When a person experiences an attack of sleepwalking, his behavior changes somewhat. The movements of the sleepwalker are smooth and soft, his pupils are constricted, and his gaze is clouded and unseeing. In most cases, sleepwalkers simply get up in bed and talk. Less often - move around the room, perform any actions - open the refrigerator, rearrange items, turn on equipment, etc.

Attacks of somnambulism usually begin at the beginning of the night and last from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours. Some patients fall into a state of somnambulism every night, while others experience attacks rarely, usually under the influence of strong emotions or stress. Sleepwalkers themselves are not aggressive, but the danger of their condition lies in the fact that a sleepwalker can unknowingly become injured in a dream, confuse a window with a door, or use traumatic objects.

Why do sleepwalkers sleepwalk?

It has been known for a long time that sleepwalkers can walk in their sleep. However, scientists still do not have a consensus on the reason for this deviation. Most doctors agree that bouts of sleepwalking can be caused by the following factors:

• Chronic fatigue and increased load brain;
• Prolonged stressful situations;
• Prolonged experiences;
• Excessive anxiety, suspiciousness;
• Insomnia, sleep disturbances;
• Increased emotionality, which can be caused by both negative and favorable events;
• Abuse of energy drinks, caffeine-containing drinks, alcohol;
• Genetic predisposition;
• Epilepsy;
• Head injuries and injuries;
• Convulsive states;
• Migraines;
• Holding your breath during sleep;
• Neuroinfections;
• Neuroses.

Bouts of sleepwalking in children often associated with phobias or long-term worries, highly impressionable and increased emotionality. Boys are most prone to sleepwalking. In this case, attacks may be accompanied by enuresis or nightmares. With age, in most children, somnambulism goes away completely.
The average person goes through several stages during sleep. For the first one and a half to two hours, the so-called stage “ slow sleep”, when muscle tone is preserved and dreams are practically absent. Next comes the stage REM sleep", followed by another slow one.

If the nervous system during sleep does not properly control the brain areas responsible for body movement, an attack of sleepwalking may occur. Using an electroencephalograph, scientists were able to find out that sleepwalking occurs precisely during the deep slow-wave sleep phase. The brain of a sleepwalker shows partial activity during an attack. This allows a person to move with his eyes open, perform any actions, and at times even talk. After awakening, sleepwalkers have no memory of their actions. In order not to frighten them, sleepwalkers should not be awakened abruptly.

Unless there is an urgent need, you should not wake up a sleepwalker. The best thing to do is help the person return to bed. Usually somnambulists do not show aggression and easily obey. In the morning, they will not even remember the events of the night and will believe that they slept peacefully all night in their bed. To wake up a sleepwalker, you should call him by name in a whisper. You can touch the person, stroke him and talk to him until he finally wakes up.

To avoid night walking, you can set several alarms with an interval of about 2 hours. Then a person prone to somnambulism will wake up at the stage of REM sleep, without reaching deep phase. Also near the bed you can put a basin with cold water or put a wet blanket. By standing on something wet, the sleepwalker must wake up.

If a sleepwalker goes down the stairs and picks up sharp objects, it is better not to wake him up. Waking up abruptly, a person may become frightened and accidentally injure himself or the person who wakes him up. To protect the sleepwalker from possible risks, you need to understand and analyze its behavior in advance. In the evening, it is better to remove objects that interfere with free movement around the room, wires that a person can get caught on and fall.

It is also better to hide sharp and breakable objects away. Entrance door should be locked and keys should be kept away. Screens should be placed on the windows, and household appliances should be unplugged. The sleepwalker himself should be protected from stress and given the opportunity to rest and relax normally.

At any time, starting from the most ancient eras, humanity has tremblingly told mysterious stories about people who walk in their sleep - sleepwalking. Like everything little known, incomprehensible, and inexplicable, sleepwalking was perceived as something mystical, beyond logical understanding, sometimes even as madness. Nowadays, science has made it possible to lift the veil of this mysterious phenomenon, popularly called sleepwalking(scientific term - somnambulism).

Who are sleepwalkers?

Word "somnambulism" came to us from Latin and is translated as "walking in a dream". Doctors believe that Somnambulism is a sleep disorder, associated with incomplete awakening, the cause of which is various neurophysiological processes.

In a healthy person, immediately after falling asleep, a phase of slow-wave sleep begins, lasting 1 - 1.5 hours. During this time, a person from the stage shallow sleep gradually moves into the stage deep sleep. During slow-wave sleep, a person's muscle tone is preserved, he can often change his position, and there are no dreams. Then comes the REM sleep phase, during which all the muscles of the body are relaxed. It is during this stage of sleep that we dream. During the night, these phases are repeated, replacing each other.

Scientists managed to record the moment of the onset of an attack of somnambulism using an electroencephalograph - a device that records the bioelectrical activity of the brain. It turned out that sleepwalking occurs at the stage of slow, deep sleep. This discovery refuted the assumption that a sleepwalker reproduces the actions that he sees in his dreams. A short attack passes without changing the stage of sleep. In this case, the somnambulist can get up and sit up in bed, say a few words, and then fall asleep safely. During a prolonged attack, signs of drowsiness and wakefulness are observed.

During sleepwalking, a somnambulist has all his senses working.- the eyes are open, he hears, sees, feels everything, maintaining the balance of the body. This explains the legendary dexterity of somnambulists. A person's sense of danger during sleepwalking is greatly dulled, so he can perform tricks that he would not dare to do in reality.

Having woken up, the sleepwalker does not remember anything about his night walks and may be very surprised by the fact that he woke up in a place located far from his own bed.

Is sleepwalking a disease?

From the point of view modern medicine Somnambulism is a disease that is expressed in a person’s unconscious actions during sleep. Outwardly, a person’s actions during an attack of somnambulism seem purposeful, but in fact the sleepwalker is not aware of them. Acting completely automatically, with dexterity atypical for sleep, the sleepwalker gets out of bed, can walk around the house, go outside, rearrange things, and perform any familiar and professional movements. Talking in a dream and when a sleeping person sits up in bed are also considered a manifestation of somnambulism, although it is shallow and possible in people who are completely mentally healthy.

Causes of sleepwalking

According to statistics, 1% of adults and 6% suffer from sleepwalking in the world. Doctors attribute children's susceptibility to somnambulism to an unformed psyche and fragile nervous system. As a rule, this “growing pain” in children goes away on its own over time.

In adults, sleepwalking can be caused by neuroses and other work disorders nervous system. Somnambulism can also be a manifestation of epilepsy, and often it becomes a harbinger of this disease, appearing several years before all its other symptoms.

An attack of somnambulism can also occur in a completely healthy person as a reaction to stressful situation. People often walk excessively in their sleep emotional people or those who have a hereditary predisposition to somnambulism.

What to do if you experience sleepwalking?

If there is a sleepwalker next to you, don't wake him up, since walks, as a rule, occur in the deep sleep phase, and suddenly waking up, the sleepwalker can be very frightened. They are very easy to return to their bed; they always obediently follow their “guide”.

At the first noticed attack of somnambulism you should contact a neurologist for advice. U healthy people Somnambulism is a temporary phenomenon and, as a rule, does not require special therapy. But if it is associated with epilepsy, neuroses and other disorders of the nervous system, it is necessary to treat these causative diseases.

To avoid injury to the sleepwalker, it is advisable hide your apartment and car keys at night If possible, put bars on the windows. Tying sleepwalkers to a bed is most often useless, since they can untie the rope without waking up.

Does your child walk at night? Find out why and what to do about it.

From time to time, the public is shocked by news of small children who leave the house at night, wearing only their pajamas, travel long distances, and then do not understand how it happened to them. Such stories may well end happily, but the “second bottom” - questions about what it was - remains. Can children really be sleepwalkers? If yes, then why do babies suffer from this disease and what should be done in this case?

Causes of sleepwalking in children

This disease affects the younger generation much more than adults. Moreover, there is no cause for particular concern because the vast majority of children outgrow it before the age of ten. The supposed reason for their nightly promenades is immaturity of the nervous system. That is why, as the child develops, episodes of sleepwalking occur less and less often.

What does a sleepwalking baby look like?

Let's face it: we associate sleepwalking with not very good things, it seems like something unpleasant and mysterious. It is not surprising that parents, when they hear about this disease in their child, often panic and experience horror.

After all, sleepwalking is associated with scary scenes from films, with people who stop being themselves and become completely different, sometimes very dangerous - something like zombies.

However, if we are talking about sleepwalking in children, then such associations can only make a specialist smile. A child suffering from this problem is not in the least dangerous - except perhaps only to himself. Sleepwalkers of several years of age most often just get up and open your eyes(which is why sometimes parents think that the child is awake) and perform the most ordinary actions.

In other words, the child dresses awkwardly, turns on the light, looks for something in the refrigerator, or has fun with something or plays. In the morning he remembers absolutely nothing. Sometimes parents - if they do not wake up at night - suspect sleepwalking in their child due to the fact that in the morning they find him in unusual places. For example, a boy or girl sleeps in the kitchen, on the carpet, in a corner with toys. However, just as often, the baby simply returns to his bed.

A sleepwalking child can answer parents' questions. However, these will be somewhat unrelated, sometimes meaningless statements.

What to do if a child walks at night?

If you hear suspicious sounds at night and find your baby walking, then the only right decision would be very gently send him to bed. You can whisper at the same time: “Let's go back to bed, dear/darling.” You don't need to do anything else.

Unfortunately, often the first instinct of parents is to try to wake up their child at any cost - sometimes too suddenly and abruptly. This cannot be done, because the child will be very scared.

Just as we do not wake up a child sleeping in a crib without special reasons, so in this case it is even more impossible to do this. Remember that the baby is standing and in a different place, so the awakening will be for him shocked.

To make sleepwalking less common and safer

The exact causes of sleepwalking in children are still unknown, but we know what to do to reduce the frequency of sleepwalking. Here's what you can do undertake:

Remember: If a child happens to go on a night walk, it should be as safe as possible. Look at your home from this point of view. Toys should not lie on the floor, stairs should be blocked with something (for example, partitions, shields), and windows and doors should be locked with keys hidden in a hard-to-reach place. This is very important, because sleepwalking, which is absolutely harmless in itself, can lead to very dangerous consequences.