What if you wake up a sleepwalker

The National Sleep Foundation says sleepwalking or somnambulism is more common in young children than adults and usually becomes less frequent as they get older. Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Everyday each week. If you have an active sleepwalker in the house, Professor Hiscock recommends taking safety measures such as locking windows and doors, removing sharp objects from the bedroom, and avoiding bunk beds for younger sleepwalkers. If a child is regularly sleepwalking and getting into potentially dangerous situations, Professor Hiscock says "scheduled awakening" may help.

This means recording the time your child tends to sleepwalk — if it's consistent — or the time between them falling asleep and starting to sleepwalk.

For older children and adults, hypnosis is sometimes a helpful treatment, as is treating any co-occurring sleep problems, such as sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome, Professor Hiscock says. This is general information only. For detailed personal advice, you should see a qualified medical practitioner who knows your medical history.

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Updated April Accessed November 10, Mahowald MW. Your questions answered. Neurology Now. The claim: never wake a sleepwalker. The New York Times. September 13, ; F6. Sleepwalking and other ambulatory behaviours during sleep. Neurol Sci. Sleepwalking in children. Funded Agency Channel website. Accessed August 1, Exceptional Nurses Winchester Hospital was the first community hospital in the state to achieve Magnet designation, recognition for nursing excellence. Supporting Our Community Our tremendous staff gives back to our community by coordinating free health screenings, educational programs, and food drives.

What Our Patients are Saying A leading indicator of our success is the feedback we get from our patients. Home Health Library. Evidence for the Health Claim The idea that sleepwalkers should not be woken up is a widely held belief. Evidence Against the Health Claim The myth that a sleepwalker should be left alone stems from an ancient belief that the soul leaves the body during sleep, and if a sleepwalker is woken up they will be a body without a soul.

Conclusion Although it is possible that waking a sleepwalker could be met with resistance or aggression, it is highly unlikely that the person doing the waking will be harmed. Most grow out of it by the time they reach puberty , but it can sometimes persist into adulthood. The exact cause of sleepwalking is unknown, but it seems to run in families. You're more likely to sleepwalk if other members of your close family have or had sleepwalking behaviours or night terrors.

Other sleep disorders that can cause you to frequently wake up suddenly during the night, such as obstructive sleep apnoea and restless legs syndrome , can also trigger a sleepwalking episode.

Taking steps to prevent some of these triggers — such as making sure you get enough sleep, and working on strategies to deal with and reduce stress — will often help. In some episodes of sleepwalking, a person may just sit up in bed and look around, briefly appearing confused. Others may get out of bed and walk about, open cupboards, get dressed or eat, and they may appear agitated.

In extreme cases, the person may walk out of the house and carry out complex activities, such as driving a car. The eyes are usually open while someone is sleepwalking, although the person will look straight through people and not recognise them. They can often move well around familiar objects. If you talk to a person who is sleepwalking, they may partially respond or say things that do not make sense. Most sleepwalking episodes last less than 10 minutes, but they can be longer.

If it happens every night and causes problems, then sleep disorder specialists suggest that parents spend a week noting the time when the sleepwalking tends to happen, and then gently wake the child about fifteen minutes before this time. This will often break the cycle. For a start, they are in such a deep sleep that they will probably not notice you, even if you try to wake them. If you do succeed in waking them you might disorientate them to the extent that they become distressed. Everyone has experienced that feeling of utter bewilderment when the alarm awakens you from deep sleep, instead of the lighter sleep we are usually experiencing by the time our alarms sound.

I once had the shock of being woken by a crash and found myself in the kitchen, standing barefoot and surrounded by broken glass. So waking a sleepwalker will not cause them to have a heart attack or put them into a coma, but the kindest thing to do is not to try to wake them at all.

Lead them gently back to bed so that they do not hurt themselves. They will remain deeply asleep, and it is likely that they will not remember a thing in the morning. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. Disclaimer All content within this column is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional.