Sleepwalking in children is a common occurrence and is classified as a parasomnia sleep disorder. It is more common in young children due to the immaturity of their nervous system and can be caused by anxiety, illness, poor sleep habits, and genetics. Sleepwalking occurs during deep sleep and is not caused by dreams. It tends to occur more in boys and can continue into adulthood.
Sleepwalking in children is classified in the parsomnia family of sleep disorders. Sleepwalking, in general, occurs more often in young children than in adults. Researchers believe this may be largely due to the immaturity of the nervous system. Other causes of sleepwalking in children include anxiety, illness, recent life changes, poor sleep habits and, in some, genetics.
Also known as sleepwalking, sleepwalking in children generally begins around age 6, and most children stop sleepwalking around age 12. Most pediatricians and researchers are not alarmed by reports of sleepwalking in children, as it is a fairly common occurrence and not generally considered a symptom of a psychological disorder. Although sleepwalking is a fairly normal occurrence, sleepwalking episodes are alarming to parents and can be very frightening to a child after learning about her or his sleepwalking episodes from others.
Sleepwalking in children can occur in both boys and girls, but tends to occur in boys to a greater extent than girls. Researchers aren’t sure why that is, but they also found that eating while sleepwalking is more common in women. In addition, children who initiate sleepwalking at age 9 or older often grow up to sleepwalk as adults, and individuals who initiate sleepwalking in adulthood tend to experience even more severe sleepwalking episodes.
Not getting enough sleep or sleeping well is one of the main causes of sleepwalking in children. This same cause can contribute to night terrors, which is another type of parasomnia common to children. Stress and high fever can also cause symptoms of parasomnia. Just as childhood sleepwalking may have a genetic link, children who suffer from nightmares also tend to have a family history of the disorder.
Sleepwalking in children occurs during slow wave sleep times that occur in the third and fourth stages of sleep, also known as deep sleep. These are non-REM sleep stages, which means that the sleepwalking disorder is not the result of a dream the child is having. Upon awakening, sleepwalkers typically do not remember any part of a sleepwalking episode. There is research suggesting that sleepwalking in children may be due to a combination of anxiety and confusion, causing the sleepwalker to react with motor activity even while in an unconscious state.
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