Why do people sleepwalk? Sleepwalking - manifestation, causes, description and video

Greetings, friends!

Despite the fact that sleepwalking is a fairly well-studied sleep disorder, many people still perceive it as a mystical and extremely rare phenomenon. In fact, somnambulism (this is what doctors call this disorder) is present in approximately 2% of the population of our planet. And isolated cases are even more common, and it can be assumed that almost every person has had similar episodes in their life. Today we will talk about why sleepwalking occurs, how it manifests itself, why it is dangerous and how to get rid of it.

What it is

No matter how they call it, a sleep disorder occurs when a person is asleep and at this time walks around the room and speaks. Scientifically, sleepwalking is called somnambulism. It was believed that people who spoke or walked in their sleep were affected by the forces of the moon. Hence the name sleepwalking, which is firmly attached to the disorder. Most often it manifests itself in children as a result of mental imperfections.

By the end of adolescence, sleepwalking occurs less frequently. They first learn about it from the 8th grade Biology textbook. It gives a definition of somnambulism, which is classified as a sleep disorder. And the medical term is translated as sleepwalking. Childhood sleepwalking is more common.

It occurs less frequently in adults, and men suffer from it. It can be episodic, repeating 1-2 times a month under a certain condition. But when cases of somnambulism are repeated regularly, then they talk about a serious illness that needs to be treated.

Treatment of hallucinations

The method of treatment depends on what the doctor finds out at the diagnostic stage. One of the methods for eliminating the pathology itself may be chosen. If it turns out that the cause cannot be eliminated, then therapy is aimed at eliminating the symptoms, that is, the hallucinations themselves. If the disease develops as a result of the use of any drugs, then they are canceled.

In case of poisoning with alcohol or drugs, cleansing of the gastrointestinal tract is prescribed. The patient will need rest and care.

A course of psychotherapy can help cure hallucinations. Neurometabolic therapy and restorative medicine techniques are used.

Psychological view of the nature of sleepwalking

People susceptible to somnambulism are, as it were, in a state of hypnosis, between sleep and wakefulness. According to the statements of Academician I. Pavlov, protective inhibition in sleepwalkers extends only to the cerebral cortex. Subcortical structures are not protected. The cortical centers responsible for coordination of movements remain active.

Since the somnambulist is well oriented in space, his visual and sensitive analyzers are involved. But control of actions is not carried out during sleepwalking, since the sleeping cerebral cortex inhibits this activity of the sleepwalker. Complete or partial amnesia after an attack is typical.

It is interesting that during an attack a somnambulist has qualities that he does not have in real life. He can draw a picture, sing, write a poem. Mutations that arise in information blocks formed in the human mind lead to changes in the behavior and character of the sleepwalker.

Observing patients, physiologist I. Mechnikov wrote that mechanisms inherited from ancestors are usually inhibited by the brain. And when sleepwalking occurs, they disinhibit. A person begins to perform such dizzying stunts in a dream that he would not dare to do in life. Not realizing the danger, the sleepwalker walks along the edge of the roof, the cornice of the window, and moves freely along a thin beam thrown from balcony to balcony.

Moonlight, which is associated with the occurrence of somnambulism, plays the role of an irritant leading to the disinhibition of areas of the brain responsible for movement. The trigger mechanism for performing actions in a dream for a sleepwalker will also be any sound, the light of a light bulb, a lantern, or changes in air temperature.

Get creative

Perhaps being in an unconscious state provokes the development of creative abilities. In 2015, a video appeared on the Internet showing a thirteen-year-old girl playing the piano. Despite the fact that she was sleeping, snoring and leaning her head against the instrument, she managed to play the melody.

Sufferers of sleep problems have also been seen in the visual arts. Lee Hadwin has built his career on selling paintings he paints in his sleep. He says that he cannot draw while conscious, and in the middle of the night he can get up and create a work of art, without even remembering the process the next morning. Although critics are divided on whether this can be considered art or just scribbles, Lee successfully sells his work. One of his most famous customers is Donald Trump.

Most art critics are still of the opinion that the artist must be conscious, but practice shows that the brain is capable of exhibiting some creative activity even when its owner is asleep.

Why does it occur

If a child begins to sleepwalk due to increased susceptibility to external factors, then in adults somnambulism is associated with:

• exhaustion of the nervous system due to chronic lack of sleep;
• neoplasms in parts of the brain;
• obsessive states;
• chronic form of epilepsy, Parkinson's disease;
• disorders of the autonomic systems;
• difficult pregnancy;
• improper lifestyle, nutrition;
• emotional excitability, increased impressionability;
• taking medications, drugs,
• chronic alcoholism.

The causes of sleepwalking in adults lie in prolonged depression, when a person is constantly tense, he has nightmares, leading to walking and screaming in his sleep. In most cases, sleep disorders are inherited. If at least one parent suffered from sleepwalking, the disease will manifest itself in children.

Causes and proper treatment of sleepwalking in adults

Somnambulism is also known as sleepwalking. This is a sleep disorder that can cause serious consequences. With its development, walking and talking during night rest are noted. Sleepwalking is often diagnosed in adults. The causes and treatment tactics for this disease are not reliably known to doctors, but it is still possible to reduce the manifestations of such symptoms.

What is sleepwalking and how does it develop?

Somnambulism is a systemic disorder that has not been fully studied by scientists. Symptoms of sleepwalking include performing certain actions while asleep. They can be simple, complex and pose a serious danger to humans.

At rest, a person is in two phases: fast and slow. The slow one consists of four stages. The fast phase is characterized by eye movements and vivid dreams. The duration of one cycle is about one and a half hours. In just one night they can be repeated up to ten times.

Sleepwalking in adults, as a rule, begins to manifest itself in the deep sleep phase. During the day, such symptoms appear extremely rarely. This is due to the fact that the day's rest is not long enough.

The manifestation of symptoms of the disease is observed when the activity of the central nervous system is inhibited, but those parts of the brain that are responsible for movement continue to function. Due to this, the sleeper can walk in his sleep and talk.

How sleepwalking manifests itself

A person who suffers from sleepwalking is characterized primarily by sleepwalking and sleep-talking. The main symptoms of this condition, which manifests itself during a night's rest, are as follows:

It is noted that after awakening, the somnambulist does not remember anything that happened to him at night. Attacks of sleepwalking in adolescents and adults vary in duration. They last from a few seconds to a couple of hours.

Why do people walk at night

The explanation for why people become sleepwalkers is genetic predisposition. It is noted that most often somnambulism is transmitted by heredity. At the same time, it is far from always that symptoms begin to appear in sleeping people even in this case. This requires a push.

The following causes of sleepwalking are distinguished:

• exposure to stressful situations;
• alcohol abuse;
• head injuries;
• excessive fatigue;
• chronic lack of sleep, which negatively affects the state of the nervous system;
• congenital abnormalities of brain structure;
• infestation with worms;
• epilepsy;
• depression and neurosis;
• taking certain groups of medications.

Under the influence of these factors, people talk and walk in their sleep. Until this point, such changes may never be observed.

Diagnosis of the disease

If sleepwalking is observed for the first time and is associated with excessive fatigue or a stressful situation, then there is no reason to immediately consult a doctor. To cure a person, it is enough to eliminate unfavorable factors. Repeated attacks should be cause for concern. When they appear, you need to consult a neuropsychiatrist, neurologist and psychiatrist.

During the diagnostic process, a number of activities are carried out, including:

• electroencephalography;
• polysomnography;
• Ultrasound of the brain;
• CT or MRI.

Additionally, you may need the help of a pulmonologist, endocrinologist and cardiologist.

How to get rid of sleepwalking

Sleepwalking begins to be treated by prescribing the following groups of drugs:

Psychotherapy sessions will help ensure healthy sleep. In addition, the underlying disease that may cause such sleep disturbances is treated.

Control and protection of the sleepwalker during sleep

People living next to a somnambulist need to know everything about sleepwalkers in order to provide timely assistance, and also adhere to a number of recommendations:

Preventive actions

In order to prevent somnambulism in adults, certain rules should be followed:

1. Avoid watching overly intense movies and shows at night.
2. Physical activity during the day should be moderate. In the evening, only walking in the fresh air is allowed.
3. Follow a daily routine, go to bed later than 23:00.
4. Get rid of bad habits and stop taking systemic stimulants.
5. Take a warm shower close to bedtime.
6. Avoid stressful situations.

Episodes of sleep walking are dangerous

It is extremely important to do everything to ensure that they do not recur. It will not be possible to cure sleepwalking completely, but thanks to properly selected therapy, the frequency of attacks can be reduced

Types of somnambulism

Types of sleep disturbance are associated with the causes of its occurrence in adults:

• Those who have drunk a lot of alcohol walk and talk sporadically. Visions arise in the foggy brain of a drunken man, he fights with invisible forces. Alcoholic sleepwalking occurs in men in most cases.
• People who are sexually anxious suffer from this disorder. Their actions are aimed at satisfying their sexual instincts. They worsen after alcohol.
• A harmless manifestation of the disorder when talking or singing in a dream occurs at any age. Talking in a dream is harmless and goes away on its own without treatment.
• An interesting, but at the same time dangerous form of sleepwalking is associated with attacks of hunger. A person begins to eat and drink everything without waking up. It is necessary to monitor the sleepwalker to prevent poisoning if he turns on the gas stove.
• There are cases of disorder when a person is so devoted to dreams that he begins to act in accordance with them. When jumping from a height, a sleepwalker can fall to his death, and if he grabs a bladed weapon, he can harm the health of others. There are various examples of manifestations of the disorder that are dangerous both for the sleepwalker himself and for those around him.

Not only somnambulists themselves, but also other people can suffer from sleepwalking. Waking a person in this state is difficult and sometimes dangerous.

Undress

Finding yourself naked in front of a large public is a common disturbing dream for many, and for some sleepwalkers it becomes a reality. This has been happening so often lately that management at one of the largest hotel chains is training its staff on what to do if they spot a naked sleepwalker walking the hallways.

Most often, the problem occurs among the male half of the population, at least in hotels, when some guests at the reception desk check out, hand over the keys, or embarrassed visitors in smart suits come to please the birthday boy with a morning call with congratulations. Now the staff keep towels with them in order to cover the nakedness of the poor fellows in case of emergency and a universal key to take them back to the room.

It is generally accepted that stress significantly increases the risk of sleepwalking, and alcohol and unusual surroundings are its catalysts.

Features of the attack

During sleepwalking, the brain of a sleepwalker reacts to sounds and objects. It happens that the patient turns on the light, opens the window, and orients himself well in the apartment. At the same time, the person looks strange outwardly. His eyes are open, but his gaze is glassy, ​​expressing nothing. Waking a sleepwalker is dangerous. He may become very frightened and become stressed.

After a sharp awakening, the sleepwalker’s thoughts are confused and he is disoriented. After all, after a special mental state, it is difficult to return to reality. Episodes of somnambulism are associated with the deep stage of sleep. In this case, the inhibition processes do not affect the parts of the brain responsible for motor activity. The attack lasts from 3 seconds to 30 minutes.

Sleepwalking attacks are provoked by:

• asthma;
• short-term cessation of breathing;
• reflux of food from the stomach into the esophagus;
• increase or decrease in blood pressure;
• arrhythmias.

The attack of somnambulism ends as suddenly as it began. Therefore, a sleepwalker is surprised when he wakes up on the bathroom floor or in another room. It’s scary when a sleepwalker gets his hands on a gun or a knife. There are cases when people kill in a somnambulistic state without realizing their actions. The rarity of such facts is noted, but they should not be completely excluded.

Interesting cases of somnambulism are described in I. Mechnikov’s book “Studies of Optimism.” The somnambulist’s movements are automatic, her eyes are open, her hair is loose. It was not for nothing that sleepwalkers were mistaken for ghosts and compared to witches.

Commit an armed robbery

In 2007, Maria Hudson fell asleep in front of the TV, then put on rubber kitchen gloves and pulled tights over her head. Ten minutes later she came into a small shop, pulled out a huge kitchen knife and demanded money. She screamed, “Hand over your money!” in a tone similar to the tone from the movie she watched before going to bed. She woke up only when the police disarmed her and handcuffed her. Maria didn't remember anything. Experts speculated that her behavior was caused by epilepsy. Hudson was acquitted.

Who to contact, diagnostics

People suffering from somnambulism do not always consult a doctor. For occasional violations this is not necessary. But constant sleepwalking with a variety of activities needs to be treated. After all, the consequences of the disease will be unpredictable. In a sleeping state, a sleepwalker is dangerous. He can hurt himself, his family, or turn on the gas.

For a regular disorder, it is best to record the time when the patient begins to walk and describe his actions. This can be done by a loved one who monitors the progression of sleep disorders. The diary includes how the sleepwalker eats and what medications he takes.

When you come to an appointment with a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or somnologist, you need to be prepared to undergo diagnostics in the form of:

• electroencephalogram of the brain;
• computed tomography or resonance tomography, detecting tumors of the meninges;
• Ultrasound of blood vessels;
• polysomnogram, which records impulses occurring at night using sensors.

By processing on computers the results of breathing sensors, heart function, electrical impulses in the muscles, processes in the neurons of the brain for 8 hours, conclusions are drawn about the course of sleep. With somnambulism, like parasomnia, behavioral disturbances occur at one of the stages of sleep or during the transition from one phase to another. The patient also needs to consult a pulmonologist, cardiologist, or endocrinologist to determine the causes of the disease.

How does sleepwalking manifest?

The range of manifestations of somnambulism is quite wide. Sometimes a person simply gets out of bed for a short time, after which he goes back to bed and continues to sleep. But it also happens that he gets up, gets dressed and tries to leave the apartment. If he succeeds, he can go quite far from home. Usually somnambulists return safely, but quite often such a “walk” can end in injury or mutilation.

The most common manifestations of sleepwalking are:

1. The person gets up, sometimes turns around and puts his feet on the floor, after which he sits on the bed for some time as if he had woken up and was about to get up. But then he just lies down and sleeps on.
2. The sleepwalker gets up and leaves the room. Sometimes he can leave the house, get into the car and even start it. In this case, he can pre-dress or go out in pajamas.
3. The person talks, but usually says incoherent and completely absurd things. His eyes are open, but his gaze is “absent.” If you ask him a question, he responds with some kind of nonsense or does not answer at all.
4. If the episode of sleepwalking does not end with injury, the person returns to bed or falls asleep in a new place. When he wakes up in the morning, he cannot remember what happened. At the same time, he feels overwhelmed and poorly rested, even if his sleep time should have been enough for him to get a full night's sleep.

Episodes of somnambulism can occur at different intervals. For some people - about once a month, for others - 3-5 times a month. More frequent manifestations are rare, although medicine knows cases of daily episodes of sleepwalking.

Solutions

It is necessary to combat sleepwalking by identifying the cause of the pathology. After treatment for diseases of the heart, blood vessels, respiratory system, diabetes, the symptoms of somnambulism disappear. Sleepwalking does not go away when it is caused by disorders of the nervous system. Mental disorders can be cured using traditional methods and folk remedies.

Traditional methods

It is necessary to use tablets for somnambulism when sleepwalking poses a danger to the patient himself and his environment. Pharmacy medications include antidepressants, sedatives, and sedatives. Tranquilizers are prescribed for patients.

Weekly courses of Clonazepam or Nitrazepam one hour before bedtime are effective. After taking medications, it is possible that sleepwalking attacks will go away for a while. But they can return again under certain situations. You can completely get rid of sleepwalking using additional methods.

Relax with folk remedies

A disease associated with nervous overstrain can be cured by relaxation methods. Taking baths with essential oils of mint, lemon balm, sweet clover, and sage before bedtime relieves nervous tension and allows you to sleep deeply and peacefully. Signs of sleepwalking are eliminated within 10-15 procedures. The temperature of the water in the bath is 36 degrees, the residence time is 10-15 minutes.

If a person suffers from a sleep disorder due to depression or increased nervous excitability, then you can take the following infusion before bed:

• spring primrose flowers;
• lemon balm;
• blue cyanosis rhizomes, a tablespoon 2 hours after eating;
• hop cones;
• peppermint.

Yoga classes under the supervision of a specialist are very calming.

How do sleepwalkers behave?

In fact, you can determine whether a person is sleeping or awake at such a late hour simply by looking closely at him. The gait is very slow and a little awkward, excessive smoothness of movements, a blurred gaze, directed somewhere. A person is sometimes able to adequately answer questions put to him. Typically, such people do not need to be accompanied home. It sounds a little funny, but in fact it is as if they have an auto-radar in their heads, which almost unerringly leads them to their starting position. Whatever happens that night, the sleepwalker will not remember it.

You shouldn't treat such people as crazy. This is rather a temporary phenomenon of a nervous system disorder. This is even more likely to occur with children than with adults, among whom there is one case per thousand people. If this happens, it happens with very impressionable people who are prone to nervousness and frequent worries, as well as with those who have a genetic predisposition to a disease such as epilepsy. Such people should be especially careful. Such a tendency can be easily identified during an encephalogram.

The thing is that often our brain is unable to disconnect from pressing problems and rest in a timely manner, as a result we have a chronic lack of sleep, which, against the backdrop of constant daily stress, results in “sleep vigil” or wakefulness in a dream.

How to Avoid Injury

In families where a sleepwalker lives, measures must be taken to avoid the dangerous consequences of sleep disturbance. For this they try:

• monitor the behavior of the somnambulist;
• block doors;
• put bars on the windows;
• cut off sharp corners on tables;
• remove chairs and breakable objects at night;
• Do not scatter electrical wires around the room;
• hide small items, keys.

If it is difficult to keep track of the sleepwalker, then it is better to call an ambulance in case of injury or a dangerous situation.

Eat

People with a sleep-related eating disorder often eat normally in their daily lives. Those suffering from this type of disorder reach for foods high in sugar at night: peanut butter, for example, or syrup, and stuff the food into themselves very quickly. Sometimes they start cooking, which can cause burns or cuts.

Even though eaters appear to be awake, they are unlikely to be aware of what food they are consuming. Therefore, unplanned night meals can have a detrimental effect on your health. One of the most obvious consequences is weight gain. Some people, in an attempt to save themselves from nightly overeating, do not buy high-calorie foods, but instead they can eat other, more dangerous foods: bacon rinds, paper or even bleach.

It seems like stocking your refrigerator with chocolate might not be such a bad idea.

Prevention measures

People often don’t know what to do when they sleepwalk regularly. If an attack occurs without physical activity, you can prevent its occurrence by relaxing with exercises or taking a bath before going to bed. Before going to bed:

• ventilate the bedroom;
• walk or perform simple physical exercises in the fresh air;
• prepare themselves for bed by turning on relaxing music and reading a boring book.

You can't let the light or loud sounds of the TV disturb your sleep. Stimulating drinks and alcohol lead to somnambulism. I wonder if sleepwalking can be cured or if you will have to live with it permanently. Scientists believe that sleepwalking stops over time. It almost never occurs in older people.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of why people sleepwalk at night. There are many reasons, each individual has their own. Only a specialist can determine them. It is imperative to contact him if the violation occurs regularly and poses a danger to life and health. After conducting a test, psychologists identify the cause of somnambulism and give advice on how to get rid of it.

Symptoms and signs of hallucinations

To explain it in simple terms, hallucinations arise as a result of a malfunction of any system responsible for the perception of the surrounding world. So the patient may seem to have some visual objects or his auditory perception may be distorted. A psychiatrist diagnoses hallucinations.

Most often, at the initial stage, such hallucinations occur with the eyes closed, when a person goes to sleep. This is preceded by frequent abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Hallucinations can be true or false. The difference is this: true hallucinations - a person is confident in their reality, and does not question the fact that they do not exist in reality, and this is the result of a failure in his perception system. The patient sees such phenomena in the world around him.

False hallucinations arise in a person’s head. For example, a patient hears voices in his head; he may believe that someone is communicating with him mentally and influencing his condition and decisions. Such conditions accompany schizophrenia.

Climb onto the crane

One night in 2005 in London, a passerby noticed a young girl on top of a 40-meter crane. Thinking he was about to attempt suicide, he called emergency services. Only when the fireman crawled towards her did it become clear that she was sleeping. Rescuers were concerned that they would wake her while trying to save her. They managed to contact her parents to call her and calmly wake her up, while downstairs the squad prepared to catch her if she fell. Despite the fact that the girl was able to easily climb onto the crane in her sleep, it took a team of firefighters a hydraulic lift and two and a half hours to lower her to the ground.