Sleepwalking A very good morning I bid to my beloved lecturer, En.
Zulkifli bin Mohd Zain, and my fellow friends in the class. Have you ever heard of sleepwalking? Do you know what is sleepwalking? The topic Im going to talk about today is sleepwalking. If you never heard of sleepwalking, you should be lending me your ears because it might indicate health problems. Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a sleep
disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalking may last as little as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, violent gestures, grabbing at hallucinated objects, or even homicide. Sleepwalking occurs in approximately 15% of the population. However, adult sleepwalking affects only one percent and most adult sleepwalkers began the disorder during childhood. What causes sleepwalking? For some people, sleep walking is an inherited condition. For children it may also be related to a stage of development. Not getting enough sleep, having irregular sleep hours, stress, drugs and some medicines increase the risk of sleepwalking. According to recent research from the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, sleepwalking may be a genetic disorder. In addition, medical conditions such as sleep apnoea, seizures and fever can contribute to the likelihood of sleepwalking. If you are prone to sleepwalking, then sounds that disturb your sleep can also make you sleepwalk. However, not uncommonly a cause cannot be found. Sleepwalking occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. This is also the dream stage of sleep. Under normal conditions, as soon as the sleeper slips into the REM sleep, the body becomes paralysed to protect the person from acting out his/her dreams. However, in sleepwalking, this paralysis does not occur, leaving the person vulnerable to harming himself or even others as he tries to enact his dreams. This is the opposite of the disorder known as sleep paralysis where the victim awakens while his body is paralysed. This disorder is often accompanied by vivid and frightening hallucinations as the sleeper brings his dreams with him into the waking world. Research continues into the relationship between genes and various sleep disorders. One can only hope that this research may eventually result in adequate treatments or even cures for these disorders.
During the course of a normal night of sleep, the human brain switches between deep and light sleep, and dreaming sleep (REM), several times. Confusional arousals occur when the brain becomes divided, literally, between sleeping and waking. Part of the brain wakes up, but another part remains deep asleep. During confusional arousal, a sleeper may sit up in bed, talk, scream, or even leave the bed and wander around the proverbial sleepwalking. A sleepwalkers behaviour may be calm or it may be agitated. Occasionally it can be violent. If a sleepwalker risks injuring himself or herself, treatment for the disorder should be sought immediately from a specialist in sleep medicine. A confusional arousal may last as long as twenty minutes, but usually is briefer. The sufferer of a confusional arousal returns to sleep without a full awakening and will have no recollection of the arousal the following day. Confusional arousals are believed to be a normal feature of the development of the brain sleep-stage switching mechanism, provided that they occur roughly three times a year or less, and are out-grown by early adulthood. As development of the sleep-stage switching mechanism occurs during the period from infancy to about ten years, confusional arousals are most common in this age group. In a child, sleepwalking may just be part of growing up. Parents should be able to comfort the child and direct him/her back to bed after they sleepwalk. With time, they tend to grow out of it. Action should be taken only if it happens too often and has a big impact on the child. This might be if they feel tired during the day from a lack of sleep or they are at risk of injuring themselves. In adults who sleepwalk, it is important to have good sleep. This may reduce the frequency of sleepwalking. Occasionally, sleeping tablets may be used, but this should be discussed with a doctor. Keeping a soft light on in the room of a sleeper, who is prone to arousals, may also help prevent the events. In the morning, the sleeper will not remember his or her episode. Current research confirms the validity of popular lore about sleepwalkers that one should not attempt to awaken them. Despite the open eyes, despite the calm walking around the house, sleepwalkers actually are deeply asleep. The recommended strategy is to prevent them from leaving the house, and to protect them from other harm, which includes knocking into furniture or falling down stairways. Are you a sleepwalker?
