What Is Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder in which someone gets up, moves around and/or carries out activities while they’re still asleep. According to Healthdirect, sleepwalking is more common in children than adults, and often resolves as they get older, but for others it persists into adulthood.

As the Sleep Health Foundation details, sleepwalking involves complex movements and behaviours during deep sleep, which helps explain one of its puzzling features: the sleepwalker usually has little or no memory of the episode the next morning.

If someone in your household sleepwalks, it can be unsettling. This article will explain:

• What usually happens during a sleepwalking episode,
• What triggers and contributing factors are involved in sleepwalking,
• How sleepwalking differs between children and adults,
• Practical ways to reduce injury risk for people who sleepwalk, and
• When you should see a doctor or healthcare provider.

What Happens During a Sleepwalking Episode?

Most sleepwalking episodes involve everyday movements, like sitting up in bed, walking around, opening doors or carrying out simple, familiar activities. During an episode, the sleepwalker can usually be guided gently back to bed.

Healthdirect explains that even though a sleepwalking person’s eyes might be open and they might appear to be awake, their awareness of what’s going on around them is limited. The day after a sleepwalking episode, most people only partially remember it, or don’t remember it at all, and some people only learn about it from a family or household member.

What Can Trigger or Contribute to Sleepwalking?

Healthdirect describes a range of triggers and contributing factors for sleepwalking, including:

• Not getting enough sleep,
• Irregular sleep hours,
• Stress or emotional pressure,
• Illness or fever,
• Some prescribed medicines,
• A family history of sleep problems, and
• Some medical conditions.

These factors could make a sleepwalking episode more likely in someone who’s already susceptible, but they don’t individually cause it. Several of these factors can be present at the same time to trigger a sleepwalking episode.

If you think a medicine you’re taking might be contributing to sleepwalking, speak to your prescribing doctor, healthcare provider or pharmacist rather than changing your dose or stopping the medicine.

Sleepwalking in Children and Adults

Sleepwalking is more common in children than in adults. According to the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, most children outgrow sleepwalking, and the Sleep Health Foundation similarly notes that many young children who sleepwalk recover before adulthood. For some people, sleepwalking continues into adulthood.

Sleepwalking in both children and adults follows the same basic pattern: an episode of movement and activity during deep sleep with limited awareness of it at the time and little or no memory of it afterwards.

For both children and adults who sleepwalk, it’s important to consider whether their sleep environment is safe, and whether the episodes are frequent, risky or disruptive enough to seek medical advice.

Sleepwalking Safety Tips

Because a sleepwalker has limited awareness of their surroundings, it’s important to reduce the chance of injury. Healthdirect and the Royal Children’s Hospital offer safety tips for children who sleepwalk which can also apply to adults, including:

• Keeping floors and walkways clear of toys, cords, bags and other trip hazards,
• Securing windows and external doors where appropriate, so they can’t wander outside,
• Keeping sharp and dangerous objects out of reach,
• Avoiding the top bunk, and
• Gently and calmly guiding them back to bed.

Be aware that locking someone inside a room overnight is not appropriate, and any secured doors or windows should still allow everyone in the home to exit quickly in a fire or other emergency.

When Should You Speak With a Doctor About Sleepwalking?

Healthdirect recommends seeking medical advice if sleepwalking:

• Happens repeatedly,
• Has led to an injury, or involves behaviour that puts the person at risk of one,
• Is unusual for the person, or
• Is frequent, dangerous, has led to injury or is causing other concerns.

A doctor or healthcare provider will consider sleepwalking episodes alongside wider health and sleep history.

FAQ's

Can stress trigger sleepwalking?

Stress can trigger sleepwalking for some people, but it’s not usually the single cause.

Healthdirect lists stress and emotional pressure among potential triggers and contributors to sleepwalking, alongside other factors like insufficient sleep, illness, some medicines and family history.

Can lack of sleep trigger sleepwalking?

Yes. Insufficient sleep is a recognised trigger for sleepwalking in susceptible people. Healthdirect also lists irregular sleep hours as a contributing factor.

Short or irregular sleep doesn’t cause sleepwalking, but it’s one factor that can make an episode more likely in someone already prone to it.

Does sleepwalking go away on its own?

According to the Royal Children's Hospital, most children who sleepwalk will outgrow it. For some people, episodes continue into adulthood.

It’s not possible to predict whether sleepwalking will stop, which is why recurrent, risky or disruptive episodes should be discussed with a doctor or healthcare provider.

Should you wake someone who is sleepwalking?

According to Healthdirect and the Royal Children’s Hospital, a calm approach that gently guides the person back to bed is generally preferable to deliberately startling them awake. However, this should be considered a general guide rather than an absolute rule: if someone is about to hurt themselves or someone else, keeping them safe takes priority.