Isolated incidents of sleepwalking often don't signal any serious problems or require treatment. However, recurrent sleepwalking may suggest an underlying sleep disorder. Sleepwalking in adults has a higher chance of being confused with or coexisting with other sleep disorders as well as medical conditions.
If anyone in your household sleepwalks, it's important to protect him or her from potential injuries related to sleepwalking. Sleepwalking care at Mayo Clinic. Sleepwalking usually occurs early in the night — often one to two hours after falling asleep. It's unlikely to occur during naps. A sleepwalking episode can occur rarely or often, and an episode generally lasts several minutes, but can last longer.
Occasional episodes of sleepwalking aren't usually a cause for concern and typically resolve on their own. You can simply mention the sleepwalking at a routine physical or well-child exam. However, consult your doctor if the sleepwalking episodes:. Sleepwalking is classified as a parasomnia — an undesirable behavior or experience during sleep. Sleepwalking is a disorder of arousal, meaning it occurs during N3 sleep, the deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement NREM sleep.
Another NREM disorder is sleep terrors, which can occur together with sleepwalking. Sometimes sleepwalking can by triggered by underlying conditions that interfere with sleep, such as:. It's difficult to wake someone up while they're sleepwalking. When awakened, a person may feel groggy and disoriented for a few minutes. Despite its name, sleepwalking also called somnambulism involves more than just walking. Sleepwalking behaviors can be:.
No matter what kids do during sleepwalking episodes, though, it's unlikely that they'll remember ever having done it! Sleepwalking is far more common in kids than in adults. It may run in families, so if you or your partner are or were sleepwalkers, your child may be too.
Getting out of bed and walking around while still sleeping is the most obvious sleepwalking symptom. But young sleepwalkers may also:. Also, sleepwalkers' eyes are open, but they don't see the same way they do when they're awake. Often, they think they're in different rooms of the house or different places altogether. Sleepwalking itself is not harmful. But sleepwalking can be hazardous because sleepwalking kids aren't awake and may not realize what they're doing, such as walking down stairs or opening windows.
Sleepwalking is not usually a sign that something is emotionally or psychologically wrong with a child. And it doesn't cause any emotional harm. Sleepwalkers probably won't even remember the nighttime stroll. Sleepwalking isn't dangerous by itself.
But it's important to take precautions so that your sleepwalking child is less likely to fall down, run into something, walk out the front door, or drive if your teen is a sleepwalker. If the sleepwalking happens often, causes problems, or your child hasn't outgrown it by the early teen years, talk to your doctor.
Skip to Content. Urgent Care. In This Section. Sleepwalking and sleep terrors often run in families. Some things that can cause this are: lack of sleep this is the most common trigger for sleep terrors and sleepwalking illness noisy or new environment stress, such as recent changes at home or the family some medicines sleeping with a full bladder What to do Stay calm.
Sleep terrors are scary for caregivers and others in the home, but your child is safe and not in any danger. Keep your child safe. Make sure outside doors are Install gates at the tops of staircases. Windows should not be open enough to jump out. You can use window stops for this or lock the windows. Do not let your child sleep in a bunk bed. Remove sharp or breakable objects near the bed. Gently help your child back to bed, but do not try to wake them up. This may cause more fear and further disrupt sleep.
Do not shout. Do not hold your child down. Let babysitters, family members and other caregivers know your child has sleep terrors or Teach them what to do if it happens. Prevention Keep a regular bedtime.
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