Sleepwalking 249357 223424319 2008-07-04T00:40:40Z 24.239.162.198 /* In art and culture */ {{otheruses}} '''Sleepwalking''' (also called '''''somnambulism''''' or '''''noctambulism'''''<ref> That is, '''''somn-ambulism''''', sleep-walking, walking in one's sleep, or '''''noct-ambulism''''', night-walking, walking in the night.</ref>) is a [[parasomnia]] or [[sleep disorder]] where the sufferer engages in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness while he or she is [[sleep|asleep]] or in a sleep-like state. Sleepwalking is usually defined by or involves the person affected apparently shifting from his or her prior sleeping position and moving around and performing normal actions as if awake (cleaning, walking and other activities). Sleepwalkers are not conscious of their actions on a level where memory of the sleepwalking episode can be recalled, and because of this, unless the sleepwalker is woken or aroused by someone else, this sleep disorder can go unnoticed. Sleepwalking is more commonly experienced in people with high levels of stress, anxiety or psychological factors and in people with genetic factors (family history), or sometimes a combination of both. A common misconception is that sleepwalking is acting out the physical movements within a dream, but in fact, sleepwalking occurs earlier on in the night when [[Rapid eye movement sleep|rapid eye movement]] (REM), or the "dream stage" of sleep, has not yet occurred. == Explanation == A majority of people move their legs while sleeping{{Fact|date=May 2008}}; however, sleepwalking occurs when both legs move in synchronization {{Fact|date=May 2008}}, which is much less common. Sleepwalking can affect people of any age. It generally occurs when an individual moves during slow wave sleep (during stage 3 or 4 of slow wave sleep—deep sleep) (Horne, 1992; Kales & Kales, 1975). In children and young adults, up to 80% of the night is spent in SWS (50% in infants).{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, this decreases as the person ages, until none can be measured in the geriatric individual.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} For this reason, children and young adults (or anyone else with a high amount of SWS) are more likely to be woken up and, for the same reasons, they are witnessed to have many more episodes than the older individuals.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} === Cause === This causes [[REM atonia]], a state in which the motor neurons are not stimulated, and thus the body's muscles do not move. Lack of such REM atonia causes REM Behavior Disorder. === Statistics === *Eighteen percent of the world's population is prone to sleepwalking.<ref name="h2g2"> [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A880689 Sleepwalking] at [[h2g2]]</ref> *Somewhere between 1% and 16.7% of [[United States|U.S.]] children sleepwalk, and juveniles are more prone to the activity.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} *One study showed that the highest prevalence of sleepwalking was 16.7% for children of 11–12 years of age.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} *Males are more likely to sleepwalk than females.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Activities such as eating, bathing, urinating, dressing, driving cars,<ref name="sex">{{cite news | author = Rachel Nowak | title = Sleepwalking woman had sex with strangers | publisher = [[New Scientist]] | date = 2004-10-15 | url = http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6540 | accessdate = 2007-04-30}}</ref> whistling,<ref name="sex"/> and committing murder<ref name="murder1">[http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sleepwalktalk/a/sleepmurder.htm Sleepwalk to Murder<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="murder2">[http://www.lakesidepress.com/pulmonary/Sleep/sleep-murder.htm Sleepwalking, sleep murder, sleep walking, automatism, sleep apnea, insanity defense, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, cataplexy, sleepiness, sleep walking, daytime sleepiness, upper airway, CPAP, hypoxemia, UVVP, uvula, Somnoplasty, ob...<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="murder3">[http://www.cnn.com/US/9905/25/sleepwalk.defense CNN - Sleepwalking defense in Arizona murder trial - May 25, 1999<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> have been reported or claimed to have occurred during sleepwalking. Contrary to popular belief, most cases of sleepwalking do not consist of walking around (without the conscious knowledge of the subject). Most cases of somnambulism occur when the person is awakened (something or someone disturbs their SWS); the person may sit up, look around and immediately go back to sleep. But these kinds of incidences are rarely noticed or reported unless recorded in a sleep clinic.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Sleepwalkers engage in their activities with their eyes open so they can navigate their surroundings, not with their eyes closed and their arms outstretched, as often parodied in cartoons and films.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} The subject's eyes may have a glazed or empty appearance, and if questioned, the subject will be slow to answer and may be unable to respond in an intelligible manner.{{Dubious|date=March 2008}} == Hazards == Sleepwalkers are more likely to endanger themselves than anyone else{{Fact|date=November 2007}}. When sleepwalkers are a danger to themselves or others (for example, when climbing up or down steps or trying to use a potentially dangerous tool such as a stove or a knife), steering them away from the danger and back to bed is advisable. It has even been reported that people have died or were injured as a result of sleepwalking.<ref name="spiegel">http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,502518,00.html?Punchline=Tada German Sleepwalker Steps Out of 4th-Floor Window</ref>.<ref name="Grybas">{{cite news|first=Liam|last=Houlihan|coauthors=Hudson, Fiona|title=Star's sleepwalk death|url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23010871-5006301,00.html|work=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]|date=[[2008-01-06]]|accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> Sleepwalking should not be confused with [[psychosis]]. Sleepwalking has in rare cases been used as a defense (sometimes successfully) against charges of murder. {{main|Sleepwalking murder}}<!-- Removed: However, sleepwalkers will only engage in behaviors they normally perform when awake{{Fact|date=November 2007}}. --> == Dealing with sleepwalkers == Often the best way to deal with a sleepwalker safely is to direct the person back to the bed. However, the person may continue getting up until he or she has accomplished the task that prompted the sleepwalking in the first place. For instance, if a sleepwalker is cleaning—a common sleepwalking activity—assisting in the cleaning may help to end the episode. Telling the person, "It looks like you have cleaned it all up", can help him or her to feel as though the "necessary" task has been accomplished. As sleepwalkers do not tend to remember anything said or done while sleepwalking, there is no need to worry about embarrassment to anyone afterward. Somnambulists are highly [[Suggestion|suggestible]]. Anything they hear or see may trigger another behavior. Often something said by a person or even on a television will cause the sleepwalker to engage in the activity mentioned, provided it is one to which he or she is accustomed to hearing about or doing. If the sleepwalker is also talking, it may be helpful to ask what he or she is trying to accomplish. One should ask very simple questions that can be answered in short, simple replies. If asked a question that requires a long answer or explanation, the sleepwalker is unlikely to respond coherently. Talking during sleepwalking varies from person to person and may not always be useful in dealing with a sleepwalker. Because sleepwalkers are unaware of their present surroundings, they may divulge information that they would otherwise keep secret. They may also exhibit behaviors which would be considered embarrassing, such as urinating in inappropriate places, trying to eat invisible foods, cleaning invisible counters, or even trying to bathe or engage in sexual intercourse. == In art and culture == The 19thc-century German chemist and parapsychologist [[Baron Karl Ludwig von Reichenbach]] made extensive studies of sleepwalkers and used his discoveries to formulate his theory of the [[Odic force]]. Sleepwalking has been found as a theme in many dramatic works. It is a major plot element in the classic [[silent film|silent]] [[German Expressionist]] film ''Das Kabinett des Dr. Kaligari'' ([[English language|English]] title: ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]''). In [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]'', [[Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare)|Lady Macbeth]] sleepwalks because of her overwhelming guilt and [[insanity]]. Italian composer [[Vincenzo Bellini]]'s opera ''[[La Sonnambula]]'' is named after its heroine, a sleepwalker. In [[Dario Argento]]'s ''[[Phenomena (film)|Phenomena]]'' ([[1985 in film|1985]]), the protagonist, Jennifer Corvino ([[Jennifer Connelly]]), witnesses a murder while sleepwalking. In the film adaptation of ''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'', the protagonist's daughter suffers from sleepwalking. In the ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' episode "[[Role Model (House episode)|Role Model]]", a woman has sex with her ex-husband while sleepwalking and gets pregnant. ==Legal defense== In 1846, [[Albert Tirrell]] was found not guilty of [[murder]] and [[arson]], arguing that if he did do it, he was sleepwalking at the time, the first successful acquittal using a sleepwalking defense in [[United States|American]] legal history.<ref name="trials">{{cite book | first=Edward W. | last=Kappman (ed) | year=1994 | title=Great American Trials | edition= | publisher=Visible Ink Press | location=Detroit, MI | pages= 101&ndash;104 | id= ISBN 0-8103-9134-1}}</ref> Kenneth Parks, a 23-year-old, drove his car 15 miles to his in-laws' house in May 1987. There, he attacked his father-in-law, leaving him unconscious, and stabbed his mother-in-law, killing her. He then went to the police station saying, "I think I have killed some people." He was bloody, and his hand was badly injured. Parks was unable to recount anything about the murder, and he had no motives for committing them. He was unemployed and stressed. He went to sleep that night thinking about how he was going to visit his in-laws the next day with his wife to tell them about his financial and gambling problems. After a year, he was found not guilty of murder or attempted murder. There was an appeal, but his acquittal was upheld. He was not even sentenced to time in a mental ward since "noninsane automatism" (i.e., sleepwalking) is not legally viewed as a mental disorder. <ref name="citynews">http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_4792.aspx Man Acquitted Of Sleepwalking Murder Running For School Trustee In Durham</ref> ==See also== * [[Dream]] * [[Night terror]] * [[Nightmare]] * [[Sleep paralysis]] * [[Somniloquy]] (sleep-talking) * [[Sleepeating]] * [[Sleep sex]] == References == {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://weethan.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/my-sleep-disorder-theory/#more-39 A Sleep Disorder Theory] *[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6540 Sleepwalking Woman Had Sex With Strangers] -- 15 October 2004 *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/4337309.stm 'Sleepwalker' accused of murder] — BBC news article dated 10 March 2005 *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4654579.stm Teen 'sleepwalks to top of crane'] — BBC news article dated 6 July 2005 *[http://www.nateatnight.com Man Records Himself Talking and Walking in His Sleep] at Nate At Night *[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msleepwalking.html Safety of waking sleepwalkers] - Straight Dope Staff Report *[http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,502518,00.html?Punchline=Tada Spiegel Online - German Sleepwalker Steps Out of 4th-Floor Window] - "A German teenager accidentally climbed out of a fourth-floor window and fell 10 meters to the ground where he kept on sleeping, albeit with a broken arm and leg." {{SleepSeries2}} [[Category:Parasomnias]] [[Category:Walking]] [[bs:Somnabulizam]] [[bg:Сомнамбулизъм]] [[da:Søvngængeri]] [[de:Somnambulismus]] [[et:Somnambulism]] [[es:Sonambulismo]] [[fa:خوابگردی]] [[fr:Somnambulisme]] [[it:Sonnambulismo]] [[he:סהרוריות]] [[nl:Slaapwandelen]] [[ja:睡眠時遊行症]] [[pl:Somnambulizm]] [[pt:Sonambulismo]] [[ru:Сомнамбулизм]] [[sk:Námesačníctvo]] [[sr:Сомнамбулизам]] [[fi:Unissakävely]] [[sv:Somnambulism]] [[ur:خواب خرامی]] [[zh:梦游症]]