Sleepwalking is a fairly common occurrence. From a scientific point of view, this phenomenon is called somnambulism. In this article we will talk about what sleepwalking is, the reasons we will reveal for which it occurs, find out if there are any ways to treat it.
What it is?
Somnambulism is a specific state of a sleeping person, in which he is involuntarily forced to commit absolutely unconscious and sometimes ridiculous actions.
The most interesting thing about all this is that after awakening, a person does not remember anything at all! A lunatic can perform any complex actions, for example, open doors, leave the house, cross the road along which cars rush and even talk. Sometimes these "zombies" are also aggressive, but in most cases they themselves are in wait for various dangers during night trips.
Not so long ago, there was a strong opinion in the minds of people that somnambulism was directly related to the activity of the moon. This is not true! Sleepwalking, whose causes have not yet been reliably clarified, is not at all the result of its activity. There is no scientific evidence for this, and accepting an assumption as the truth is highly unprofessional! However, until now, some scientists have not denied that the moon is still able to exert some effect on the psyche of people.
Mysterious sleepwalking: causes and symptoms of this phenomenon
Common symptoms
- the sleeping person has eyes open constantly;
- the sleeping person takes a sitting or any other awake posture;
- during sleep, a person begins to move somewhere or perform some other action;
- talking in a dream;
- a person upon awakening does not remember what happened to him at night, he is confused and disoriented.
Sleepwalking in adults. Causes
- disorders associated with brain activity;
- alcohol abuse;
- toxic effects of drugs on the body;
- any serious illness;
- stressful situations;
- epileptic seizures.
Children's sleepwalking. Causes
Very often, this strange phenomenon affects children, but the mechanism of action in this case is slightly different. If there are no serious violations in the child's body, then with age somnambulism disappears. There are few reasons for children's "night trips", but each of them requires special attention:
- constant state of anxiety in the child;
- lack of sleep, lasting a long time;
- very severe overwork or fatigue.
The overall picture of somnambulism
In principle, sleepwalking, the reasons for which are not fully understood, is a fairly popular phenomenon. It develops both in adults and in children (from 6 years old). Episodes of somnambulism last from a few seconds to half an hour or longer. Most often, a sleeping person "comes to life" in the early night hours (the third or fourth stage of sleep). If attacks occur systematically, then you need to visit a doctor. Since there are no special ways to treat somnambulism, the therapy will depend on the causes of this phenomenon, and they, as has already been noted, are different for each age group. True, there is one thing in common - heredity.