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Sleepwalking is a disorder characterized by walking during sleep. Patients may also engage in other activities, such as talking or eating, during sleep. Sleepwalking is also called somnambulism.
Sleep is divided into five stages: stages 1 through 4, which range from the lightest sleep to deep sleep, and the fifth stage, which is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During a typical night’s sleep, a person cycles through these stages approximately every 90 minutes. Sleepwalking usually occurs during deep sleep (stages 3 and 4 of the sleep cycle) in the first third of the sleep period, early in the night. It infrequently occurs during REM sleep, closer to morning.
Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal behaviors during sleep. Parasomnias include abnormalities within the stages of the sleep cycle.
While sleepwalking, people experience reduced alertness, have a blank stare and are usually unresponsive to attempts to speak with them or wake them. If awoken, a person will experience confusion for a few moments, but will return to a normal state of mental and physical functioning. Sleepwalking may include a variety of behaviors. In mild cases, sleepwalkers may sit up in bed, rub their eyes, appear awake, look around and pick at their clothing, bed sheets or blankets.
People who sleepwalk may engage in simple activities, such as eating, dressing or using the toilet. If patients talk while sleepwalking, the speech is typically garbled and incomprehensible. They may also engage in more complex activities, such as moving furniture or driving a car. Sleepwalking episodes may last for a few minutes or a half hour or longer. After sleepwalking, patients do not usually recall the episode.
One myth is that people should not be wakened while sleepwalking. It is not dangerous to awaken people who are sleepwalking, although it may be difficult and it is common for them to be confused and disoriented afterwards. Another common misperception is that people cannot be injured while sleepwalking. Injuries can occur as a result of trips, falls and other actions that may occur while sleepwalking.
Sleepwalking can occur at any age, but it is more common in children. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 10 to 30 percent of children have experienced at least one episode of sleepwalking and 2 to 3 percent have frequent episodes. Among adults, 1 to 7 percent have experienced an episode of sleepwalking, and between 1 and 5 percent have sleepwalking disorder, characterized by frequent episodes that cause significant distress or dysfunction. Most children outgrow sleepwalking by adolescence. Adults who sleepwalk usually did so as children. | 
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