Sleepwalking and Insomnia: What’s the Connection?

May 9, 2023 – Is location a nexus betwixt sleepwalking and nan slumber upset insomnia? 

Sleepwalking, besides called somnambulism, affects astir 4% of nan U.S. organization connected a regular ground – though galore much group whitethorn not beryllium alert they do it. (Sleepwalking is classified arsenic a parasomnia, aliases abnormal behaviour while you’re asleep.)

Sleepwalking tin hap erstwhile you are concisely aroused from non-rapid oculus activity sleep, which is simply a profoundly restful shape that helps reconstruct assemblage insubstantial and repair important assemblage functions. 

“The non-rapid oculus activity shape is astir 80% of slumber successful adults,” said Kenneth Lee, MD, an adjunct professor of neurology and slumber medicine and objective aesculapian head astatine nan UChicago Medicine Sleep Center. “Generally speaking, sleepwalking occurs erstwhile you are nary longer afloat asleep, but besides not afloat awake – you’re successful a limbo betwixt nan 2 states. In addition, things that summation nan number of times your encephalon wakes up puts you astatine consequence for episodes of sleepwalking, if you hap to beryllium prone to them, including slumber apnea and limb movements.”

If you sleepwalk, it usually happens during nan first 3rd of nan night, and you won’t beryllium capable to think, plan, aliases usability properly. You won’t cognize wherever you are. Even though you’re moving astir successful a dreamlike state, you won’t beryllium capable to retrieve immoderate dreams you really person while sleepwalking. 

Many doctors judge that a deficiency of slumber is simply a awesome origin of sleepwalking. If you person insomnia, it's difficult for your encephalon and assemblage to walk betwixt slumber stages; erstwhile you do get to sleep, you whitethorn not settee into heavy capable sleep, and your encephalon tin get "tricked" into reasoning your assemblage should beryllium active. 

But what is nan nonstop nexus betwixt insomnia and sleepwalking? Can you retrain your encephalon into a restful slumber pattern? Here’s what to know. 

What Are nan Risk Factors for Sleepwalking? 

Children are much apt to sleepwalk, because as you get older, you person little non-rapid oculus activity sleep. But sleepwalking tin sometimes proceed into adulthood, said  Reza Radmand, DMD, a diplomate of nan American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and chap of nan American Academy of Oral Medicine.  

“Adult onset sleepwalking is rare, and is usually associated pinch definite medications specified benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Psychological trauma could besides beryllium a contributing facet to episodes of sleepwalking," said Radmand, who is besides a teacher and investigation collaborator successful slumber medicine astatine Brigham and Women’s Hospital successful Boston and Harvard Medical School. 

Sleepwalking tin run successful families, particularly if 1 of some of your parents person done it. Other imaginable consequence factors include:

• Drinking alcohol
• Having gastroesophageal reflux illness (GERD)
• Having a fever
• Being stressed
• Having a seizure disorder

“Our intelligence authorities besides has an effect connected slumber quality,” said Jordan Standlee, MD, a neurologist astatine University of Michigan Health and a objective adjunct professor of neurology astatine University of Michigan Medical School successful Ann Arbor. 

“During periods of precocious situational stress, our brains person a much progressive fight-or-flight signal, and this often carries complete into nan slumber period, wherever our brains person a harder clip achieving deep, relaxed, unchangeable sleep. Many group who sleepwalk will study that it happens much often during periods erstwhile they are particularly stressed aliases worried," he said. 

What Are nan Symptoms of Sleepwalking? 

According to Penn Medicine, signs of sleepwalking include:

• Walking during sleep
• Having your eyes unfastened pinch a blank look connected your face
• Talking, but what you opportunity doesn’t make sense
• Acting confused aliases fierce if personification wakes you up 
• Appearing awake to others
• Sitting up aliases engaging successful activities arsenic though you were awake 
• Not remembering thing that happened erstwhile you aftermath up

Does Insomnia Cause Sleepwalking? 

While insomnia connected its ain doesn't straight origin sleepwalking, location astatine slightest 4 awesome ways successful which nan 2 conditions interact, said Standlee. 

Those ways are: 

1. A disruptive slumber environment
2. Periods of "situational stress"
3. Sleep apnea 
4. Medication effects

"Sleepwalking has beardown familial factors, meaning immoderate group are inherently much astatine consequence for this symptom. It tends to originate not from deep, unchangeable sleep, but alternatively from disrupted and twilight sleep. Sleepwalking besides occurs much erstwhile personification is sleeping successful a overseas environment, for illustration successful a edifice room, aliases successful nan mounting of slumber deprivation," he said. "Again, this is apt because during those scenarios, astatine nighttime their slumber is little unchangeable and much clip is spent successful a transitional slumber state.”

And distractions successful your sleeping situation tin make things worse.

“Noise aliases ray successful nan room tin origin some insomnia and sleepwalking, peculiarly having a tv connected successful nan chamber passim nan night,” Standlee said. “It is difficult for nan encephalon to enactment successful deep, unchangeable slumber while this benignant of ray aliases sound is present, and nan consequence tin beryllium either recurrent afloat awakenings – insomnia – aliases partial awakenings, which predispose you to sleepwalking.”

Another concern: Trying to dainty insomnia could really bring connected a sleepwalking episode.

“Some of nan communal medications utilized to dainty insomnia tin themselves origin sleepwalking,” Standlee said. “Sedating medications specified arsenic zolpidem, eszopiclone, zaleplon, suvorexant, lemborexant, and daridorexant person each been described to origin analyzable slumber behaviors, meaning sleepwalking, arsenic good arsenic different slumber activities specified arsenic cooking and eating food, making telephone calls, and driving while asleep.” 

What Is nan Right Way to Treat Insomnia, and Solve Your Sleepwalking? 

First of all, talk to your doctor.  

“If you cognize you’ve had a sleepwalking episode, past a slumber study needs to happen,” said Andrea Matsumura, MD, a slumber medicine master successful Portland, OR. “You besides request to return information measures – for example, if you unrecorded successful a two-story home, you want to put up a obstruction to your stairs, and fastener your windows.” 

You tin besides talk problems falling and staying dormant pinch a psychologist.

“The champion people of curen is cognitive behavioral therapy for terrible insomnia,” said Lee. “This is simply a measurement to retrain your encephalon and assemblage really to slumber again. Making judge that insomnia is addressed and slumber is consolidated will trim consequence of sleepwalking.” 

Good slumber hygiene should besides beryllium a nightly ritual.

“Don’t eat aliases workout adjacent to going to sleep, and extremity drinking caffeine for 6 hours beforehand,” said Matsumura.

Yoga, meditation, and heavy breathing tin besides help. Focusing connected being benignant to your mind and assemblage tin thief you remainder  a batch easier.