Sleepwalking in Children

In sleepwalking, kids not only tend to walk but also get involved in doing other things. When asked later, they show total unawareness about it. This disorder is clinically termed as 'Somnambulism' and it is mostly found in children who are in there pre-pubertal stage of their life. In most cases, the episode of sleepwalking in children is not associated with any kind of harm. Some cases occur less than once in every month and some have frequency of more than once. However, in rare and extreme cases, when sleepwalking occurs more frequently, incidents of physical injury have been reported. What follows is a description regarding the causes of sleepwalking in children, its symptoms and its treatment.

Sleepwalking In Children: Causes
Sleepwalking in kids is basically a stage wherein, kids are in midway of being asleep and awake. No specific causes of sleepwalking in children have been deciphered yet. However, professionals assume that the disorder may be associated with fatigue, poor or deprived sleep, anxiety,
stress from studies and sometimes, it may also relate to family history of night terrors or sleepwalking. Other factors such as magnesium deficiency in the body, fever, nighttime asthma, length and depth of slow wave sleep and a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, wherein, breathing stops temporarily while sleeping, have also been held responsible for causing sleepwalking in children. More on sleepwalking causes.

Sleepwalking In Children: Symptoms
The prominent symptom of sleepwalking in toddlers is the difficulty in arousing the affected child amidst the event. The affected child may not remember or have a single clue regarding the incident. Other symptom of sleepwalking in children is loud or soft mutterings which are incomprehensible most of the time, suddenly sitting up in the bed and sometimes running or moving around the entire room. Parents have also observed that their children tend to use obscene words which would not be uttered when awake and sometimes children may also urinate in inappropriate places. More on sleep talking.

Sleepwalking In Children: Treatment
Parents will be relieved to know that most children outgrow sleepwalking. The frequency of the events tend to reduce as the kids age and later, there are usually no recurrences. However, if the incidents are not showing any decrease in their occurrence then this would be a good time when parents must visit a doctor. Read more on sleep disorder.

Parents must ensure that their child gets plenty of rest and follows a fixed schedule of going to bed every day. As mentioned, stress is one of the causes of sleepwalking in children. So, inculcating some stress-relieving exercises such as meditation or other relaxation exercises before bed time helps the body and mind to de-stress and thus reduces the frequency of sleepwalking. It is advisable for the child's bedroom to be on the ground floor and the room should be free of stuffs which may pose a physical threat to the affected child. Placing an alarm bell on the bedroom door and on the windows will also help parents to be aware if any incident of sleepwalking has occurred. Know more on sleepwalking facts.

Doctors also advise parents to maintain a record of the timings when their children actually begin sleepwalking. This way they can wake them up 10-15 minutes before the recorded time. This method is also effective in countering the problem. As far as medical treatment is considered, it is best left to the doctors. If there is any underlying cause for the behavior then medication is targeted towards addressing the cause in order to treat sleepwalking. Such causes, however, are mostly found in cases of sleepwalking in adults.

Sleepwalking in children, as already said, does not raise any major concerns and most children have been found to leave the disorder behind along with their childhood. However, there might be a few exceptions and for them, doctors are always there to help with their professional advice and care!