{"id":2630,"date":"2022-09-05T10:47:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-05T08:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/?p=2630"},"modified":"2022-09-05T14:02:17","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T12:02:17","slug":"what-causes-sleepwalking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/what-causes-sleepwalking\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes Sleepwalking and How Can You Prevent It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleepwalking or somnambulism is a relatively common behavioral disorder. It’s characterized by walking or performing other complex actions during the deep sleep phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But <\/span>what causes sleepwalking<\/span>? Is it genetic, or are there some external factors that trigger it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Join us as we shed some light on this medical mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleepwalking \u2014 General Facts<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sleepwalking typically occurs during the <\/span>deep sleep stage<\/span><\/a>, but it can also happen in the more superficial phase of <\/span>NREM sleep<\/b>. It usually happens a few hours after falling asleep, when the sleeping person may be in a lighter sleep mode.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a common <\/span>hereditary<\/b> sleep disorder found in roughly <\/span>5% of children and 1.5% of adults<\/span><\/a>. So, if your mom, dad, or somebody else in your family had it, chances are you will too! As a matter of fact, you’re five times more likely to sleepwalk if you have a somnambulist identical twin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And yes, the crazy stories you must have heard about sleepwakers are true. They can do many things in their sleep, including jumping out of windows, driving cars, going barefoot outside at -20 \u00baC without feeling pain or discomfort, and even swimming!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No wonder many of their nocturnal adventures end up causing injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But <\/span>are sleepwalkers <\/span>conscious<\/b>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sleepwalker is asleep, but their body is active, allowing them to perform complex actions such as speaking, talking, or walking out of the house and performing a plethora of other complex actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the answer is <\/span>no<\/b>. Sleepwalkers aren’t conscious during a sleepwalking episode and typically can’t remember what they were doing the night before. Moreover, they’re often surprised to hear what’s occurred or to find bruises and other injuries on their bodies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleepwalking and Dreaming<\/b><\/h2>\n

Contrary to popular belief, sleepwalkers don’t dream while they’re sleepwalking. And, no, they aren’t acting out scenes from their dreams during their sleepwalking episodes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is because sleepwalking doesn’t occur in the <\/span>REM<\/b> (rapid eye movement) phase, which is <\/span>when dreams occur<\/span><\/a>. Instead, you’ll find them sleepwalking while in the deepest stage of NREM sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Part of the Brain Controls Sleepwalking<\/b>?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Research suggests that when you sleepwalk, you aren’t necessarily wholly asleep. In fact, <\/span>only part of your brain is <\/b>“<\/span>sleeping<\/b>,”<\/span> while other parts are wide “awake.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The limbic region<\/b> (the part dealing with raw emotions) and <\/span>part of the cortex responsible for motor activity<\/b> are the ones that remain awake and cause sleepwalking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, the <\/span>frontal cortex<\/b> (responsible for rationality) and <\/span>hippocampus <\/b>(responsible for memory), which should keep the other two under control, are sound asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can You Remember Sleepwalking?<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Since sleepwalkers are in an altered state of consciousness during an episode (which may last from a couple of seconds to about 10 minutes), they don’t know they’re sleepwalking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, they typically have no recollection of what they were doing during their sleepwalking episodes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there are cases when sleepwalkers have <\/span>vague impressions<\/b> of certain <\/span>moments<\/b> or can remember <\/span>thoughts <\/b>they had<\/span> or <\/span>emotions <\/b>they felt during an episode.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleepwalking Symptoms<\/b><\/h2>\n

The most common symptoms include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n