Sleepwalking in children

Sleepwalking in children

sleepwalking it's a sleep disorder that occurs in all ages, standing out mainly in children. As a general rule, they are not a cause for concern since they occur occasionally, but when they are very recurrent, the child must be taken to a specialist.

It is necessary to evaluate what are the reasons that can trigger this fact. Even if many of the times he has no reasons, Many times they hide certain concerns that the child is going through and that is reflecting it at night and affecting their quality of sleep.

What is sleepwalking in children?

Sleepwalking occurs at night and does not usually manifest itself during naps. This disorder involves in getting up and walking while the child is asleep and it usually occurs in children more than in adults. If these episodes occur in adulthood there is the possibility of becoming a sleep disorder.

How does sleepwalking occur?

A person who suffers from sleepwalking may have continuous episodes at night with lifting, talking or walking. Among all the factors that can manifest in a child with sleepwalking some can be extreme.

It usually manifests itself in children between 4 and 6 years old, adjusting more in boys than in girls. Generally they tend to be specific events when children are very tired, have a lack of sleep or have had some kind of anxiety in the previous days.

Generally they get out of bed and walk, or sit on the edge of the bed. When you observe a sleepwalking child they may have their eyes open, the blank stare or watery eyes. The disoriented children, they speak alone and if someone enters their conversation they usually don't respond to anything. It's no good trying to wake up or scare a person in this stateas it can confuse the moment or get scared. Children with these episodes usually do not remember what has happened and during the next day they tend to feel tired due to their alterations during the night.

Sleepwalking in children

When can sleepwalking become alarming

Sleepwalking in children can be worrisome when they get out of bed and go much further. They engage in activities such as eating, talking or dressing, or urinating. They can put themselves in danger if when walking they can access places where they can injure themselves, such as jumping from a ladder or accessing an exit door from the house or a window.

Sleepwalking can have sporadic episodes and is usually they usually resolve naturally. If, however, when they are repetitive, they occur once or twice a week or are recurrent in the same night, then it is a sign of concern.

Is worrying if it affects other members of the house with their uprisings, when their nocturnal performance can be jeopardized and even that child is very sleepy during the day because of poor sleep. Also, if the episodes are continued until the age of adolescence then a pediatric consultation has to be done.

What can a doctor do?

Sleepwalking in children


Sleepwalking has no cure, but the doctor can prescribe some kind of medication to get you to sleep soundly and have a sleep repair done. Children predicted with this disorder do not have a specific factor that produces this case, although it is usually associated with very tired children or with a high level of anxiety. Other factors they can be hereditary, with a family history of sleepwalking.

In order to enter into a beneficial sleep and to be able to avoid sleepwalking, it is necessary to try that children get into bed calmly, without playing anything previously that excites them, or that there are too many lights or noises.

Nor is it good that they eat dinner and have a full stomach or drinking a lot of fluids, because before they should go through the bathroom to empty the bladder. It is important that you have a regular sleep, with the same sleep times and the same number of hours asleep. And as a last and very basic recommendation is to try to provide children with the opportunity to fulfill a dream in quantity and quality, always with schedules and with the number of hours of sleep fulfilled.


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