Sleepwalking disease or somnabulism is a condition when a person wakes up, walks, or performs various activities while sleeping.Although it can be experienced by anyone, this condition is more common in children.
Sleepwalking disease (sleepwalkingThis usually occurs about 1-2 hours after falling asleep and can last for 5-30 minutes. In children, sleepwalking usually occurs only occasionally and will disappear with age.
However, this condition still needs to be watched out because if it continues, injury can occur due to falling or hitting hard objects.
Causes of Sleepwalking Disease
The cause of sleepwalking disease is not known with certainty. However, this condition is thought to be passed down from parent to child. A person is at high risk of experiencing sleepwalking if both parents have a history of this disease.
Sleepwalking disease can be experienced by anyone. However, this condition is more common in children. Although the exact cause is not known, there are a number of conditions that are often associated with the occurrence of sleepwalking, that is:
- Lack of sleep
- Fatigue
- Irregular sleep
- Stress
- Drunk
- Use of certain medications, such as antipsychotics, stimulants, or antihistamines
In addition to the conditions above, several health conditions, such as fever, GERD, heart rhythm disorders, asthma, sleep apnea, or restless leg syndrome, is also often associated with sleepwalking disease
Symptoms of Sleepwalking Disease
Basically, sleep is divided into 2 stages of sleep, namely sleep stages rapid eye movement (REM) and stages non-rapid eye movement (NREM). This stage will take place in an iterative cycle. During the NREM stage, there will be 3 phases of sleep, namely:
- Phase 1, i.e. eyes are closed, but still easy to wake up
- Phase 2, where the heart rhythm begins to slow down, body temperature drops, and the body prepares for deep sleep
- Phase 3, namely the deep sleep phase, where a person will be difficult to wake up
Sleepwalking sickness occurs in phase 3 of the NREM stage. When experiencing sleepwalking disease, a person will usually experience complaints and symptoms, such as:
- Walking around sleeping
- Do various activities while sleeping
- Sitting in bed with eyes open but still sleeping
- Eyes open but with a blank stare
- Confused and can't remember what to do when you wake up
- Delirious and not responding to conversations
- Behaves aggressively or rudely when awakened
- Sleepy during the day
Sleep disorders that occur in adults can involve more complex behaviors, such as cooking, eating, playing a musical instrument, and even driving.
When to go to the doctor
Check with a doctor if you or your child experience the complaints and symptoms as mentioned above, especially if they occur frequently and have interfered with daily activities, and endanger yourself or others.
You should also check with your doctor if you have a disease or condition related to sleepwalking, such as restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.
If you have been diagnosed with sleepwalking disease and given treatment, have regular check-ups. In addition to monitoring the effectiveness of treatment, this routine check also aims to reduce the risk of complications.
Diagnosis Disease Tsleep Bwalk
To diagnose sleepwalking disease, the doctor will ask questions about the complaints experienced, medical history, and medications that are being consumed. The doctor will also ask family or roommates about the patient's sleeping habits.
The doctor will also perform a physical examination to determine other possibilities that accompany or cause sleepwalking disease. Next, the doctor can perform a series of supporting examinations, such as:
- Polysomnography
Polysomnography or sleep study This is done by recording all sleep activities to observe brain waves, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, breathing patterns, and eye and leg movements that occur during sleep.
- ElectroencephalographyElectroencephalography (EEG) aims to measure electrical activity in the brain if the doctor suspects another health condition underlying sleepwalking disease.
Sleepwalking Disease Treatment
Sleepwalking disease generally does not require treatment, because it can go away on its own. However, if this condition is already dangerous or bothering many people, then treatment is needed.
Sleepwalking disease treatment will be tailored to the underlying cause. Some of the treatment methods that can be done are:
Application sleep hygiene
When experiencing sleepwalking disease, a person is advised to improve the environment and previous poor sleep habits. Apply sleep hygiene can be done in several ways, namely:
- Create a regular sleep pattern
- Avoid consumption of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages close to bedtime
- Urinating before going to bed
- Make the bedroom as comfortable as possible
- Doing activities that can relax the mind before going to bed, for example, take a warm bath or read a light book
In addition, people with sleepwalking disease are also advised to improve their lifestyle by managing stress in a positive way and exercising regularly.
Psychotherapy
One example of psychotherapy that can be done is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change the patient's mindset regarding the sleep disorder they are experiencing while improving sleep quality.
Drugs
Giving drugs aims to reduce the frequency of sleepwalking every night. Some types of drugs that can be given are antidepressants or benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam.
If this disorder occurs at the same time every night, another way to overcome it is to wake the sufferer 15-30 minutes before the symptoms of sleepwalking disease appear. That way, the sleep cycle will change and it is hoped that it will relieve the condition experienced.
If your child often has sleepwalking disease, make additional safety guards on each side of the bed to prevent them from getting off the mattress. If necessary, supervise your child nightly or hire a nurse to perform this special task.
It should also be noted, the most important thing in the treatment of sleepwalking disease is to ensure that there are no other disorders or diseases that accompany sleepwalking disease. If other disorders are found, the disease must be treated.
Complications of Sleepwalking Disease
Although not dangerous and can heal on its own, sleepwalking disease can cause several complications, such as:
- Physical injury
- Prolonged sleep disturbance
- Changes in behavior
- Decreased performance at school or performance at work
- Problems in social life
Sleepwalking Disease Prevention
Sleepwalking disease can be prevented in the following ways:
- Creating a comfortable sleeping environment
- Managing stress in a positive way
- Avoid excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages
- Avoid working late at night
- Apply sleep discipline by following the schedule that has been made
- Doing exercise regularly
- Limit the consumption of caffeinated foods or drinks, especially close to bedtime
- Doing activities that can relax the mind before going to bed, such as taking a warm bath, reading a book, or listening to music
- Check with a doctor if you have a history of sleepwalking or other conditions
