What Is Sleepwalking?
                     What Is Sleepwalking?
Have you ever found yourself traipsing through the house in the middle of the night, with no 
memory of what you were doing or how you got there? It is possible you may have been one of 
the millions of people around the world partial to sleepwalking. A very common condition, but 
how much do we know about it?
Sleepwalking, often otherwise referred to as noctambulism or somnambulism is a type of sleep 
disorder from the parasomnia family. A state where a person carries out tasks while being asleep 
and not completely awake at the same time.
If you are among the scores of people in the UK who sleepwalk, it 
usually takes place during deep sleep, while experiencing low 
consciousness. Generally, you will sleepwalk through the slow-wave 
sleep stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep, also known as NREM.
You will reach your peak at the beginning of the night, where you may 
start sleepwalking in the first few hours after falling asleep. This is when 
you can perform everyday activities when asleep which you would 
usually do when awake. Ranging from talking out loud, to sitting up in 
bed or walking around the house, from going to the bathroom to 
wandering about in the dark.
Furthermore, you could reportedly carry out more complex tasks when 
sleepwalking, from cooking to reaching for imaginary items and even 
getting in the car and trying to drive, amongst other instances. However, 
in many cases, you will only sleepwalk once a night, where it may last 
from 30 seconds to less than ten minutes or occasionally longer, and you 
may not remember what you did.
Your eyes may be open, and you could have a glazed, blank look, which can be 
disconcerting. Sleepwalking can impact your special awareness and knowledge 
of your environment, as well as your judgement and problem-solving 
capability, which could have potentially harmful consequences. It is not 
uncommon for people to suffer falls, or cuts and bruises when they have been 
waking in their sleep, so you should watch out.
People of all ages can experience sleepwalking, but the majority of cases are 
found in children, where 20% of youngsters in the UK will sleepwalk on at 
least one occasion in their life. The majority will stop sleepwalking when they 
get to puberty, but it can often continue when they grow up.
However, it is not known what exactly causes sleepwalking, although some 
suggest it runs in families. Many believe you may have a greater chance of 
sleepwalking if you have an irregular sleep pattern or are woken abruptly from 
a deep sleep, often by a loud noise. Children may be prone to sleepwalking if 
they are suffering from a fever, or if they are afflicted with another sleep 
disorder such as restless leg syndrome. There have also been instances of 
people living with anxiety and depression, as well as grown-ups abusing drugs, 
alcohol or prescription medication like sedatives, to sleepwalk.
It is a state which affects all age groups across the UK. Many do not fully appreciate how much 
of an inconvenience it can be, but if you tend to sleepwalk, you can avoid mishap or injury with 
the help of family and friends. They can keep a close eye on you while you sleepwalk to prevent 
any accidents, which could see you through your night-time excursions in safety.
The Original article Published at Beds Glasgow 
Blog :-
https://bedsglasgow.com/what-is-sleepwalking/