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Sleepwalking is pretty common in school age children. This was recently a topic of interest as my Mother is currently staying with the grandchildren and my niece is a sleepwalker. Sleepwalking is often just a random event although this may become an issue as children could even open a window and crawl out as they are sleeping.
What causes sleepwalking? CNN recently had an article that provided the following reasons why people sleepwalk:
Sleep deprivation
Stress
Anxiety
Fever
Sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings
Some medications, such as zolpidem (Ambien)
Sleepwalking is sometimes associated with underlying conditions that affect sleep, such as:
Seizure disorders
Sleep-disordered breathing — a group of disorders characterized by abnormal breathing patterns during sleep, the most common of which is obstructive sleep apnea
Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
Migraine headaches
Stroke
Head injuries or brain swelling
Premenstrual period
In other cases, use of alcohol, illicit drugs or certain medications — including some antibiotics, antihistamines, sedatives and sleeping pills — can trigger sleepwalking episodes.
What can you do? Most research states that simply leading the sleepwalker back into their beds will help them although this will not stop them from future sleepwalking. One thing I learned is that it is not harmful to wake up a sleepwalker. If the sleepwalker becomes dangerous, physicians can recommend medications to help them sleep, almost like a sedative.
Are you a sleepwalker or know of anyone else who sleepwalks? Are there any suggestions on helping the sleepwalker?
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[5min Survey on Sleepwalking] Hi all, We are a group of students working on designing products for sleepwalkers. We want to understand the challenges faced by them and their families/roommates, and how technology may help them.
If you have had sleepwalking experiences and are interested in helping us out, please fill out the following survey. The survey may only take you less than 5 minutes.
Here is the survey link:
https://umich.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0N8nTMsfQ0FQT41
Thank you in advance!
November 16, 2014 - 10:23amThis Comment