Sleepwalking (Somnabulism)

What is sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking occurs when a person gets up from bed and walks around despite being still asleep. The disorder could include sitting up in bed, speaking or shouting, and looking around in a confused manner. People who sleepwalk can be very difficult to wake up, and are often confused when awoken, having little to no memory of the event.

EISC sleep medicine specialist Dr. Andrew C. Peterson explains:

What are the symptoms of sleepwalking?

Sleepwalkers often get out of bed and walk around while still asleep, perform routine actions at strange times, are confused when woken, and have difficulty remembering what took place.

How is sleepwalking diagnosed?

In order to diagnose somnambulism, your doctor may recommend a polysomnogram (sleep study).

What treatment options are available?

For children, sleepwalking tends to wane as they become teenagers. If sleepwalking occurs in conjunction with sleep apnea, treatment of sleep apnea may improve occurrences sleepwalking.

Learn more about sleepwalking (somnambulism)

Questions? Contact the Eastern Iowa Sleep Center today.