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Medical Health Encyclopedia
Sleepwalking
From Healthscout's partner site on depression, HealthCentral.com
Sleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when a person walks or does another activity while they are still asleep. Alternative Names
Walking during sleep; Somnambulism Causes, incidence, and risk factors The normal sleep cycle has distinct stages, from light drowsiness to deep sleep. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the eyes move quickly and vivid dreaming is most common. Each night people go through several cycles of non-REM and REM sleep. Sleepwalking (somnambulism) most often occurs during deep, non-REM sleep (stage 3 or stage 4 sleep) early in the night. If it occurs during REM sleep, it is part of REM behavior disorder and tends to happen near morning. ![]() The cause of sleepwalking in children is usually unknown. Fatigue, lack of sleep, and anxiety are all associated with sleepwalking. In adults, sleepwalking may be associated with:
In the elderly, sleepwalking may be a symptom of an organic brain syndrome or REM behavior disorders. Sleepwalking can occur at any age, but it happens most often in children aged 4 - 8. It appears to run in families.
Review Date: 06/20/2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). ![]() | ||||||||||||||
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