Sleepwalking is often passed off as a typical occurrence. At times, it even becomes the butt of jokes during family reunions. But sleepwalking should neither be considered normal nor funny, as MedicalNewsToday.com reports that this is a very serious condition which may greatly affect one’s way of living.

Together with his colleagues, Dr. Yves Dauvilliers from the Gui-de-Chauliac Hospital in France, observed 100 adult sleepwalking patients from 18 to 58 years old. They found that 22.8 percent of the patients had nightly episodes of the disorder, while 43.5 percent had weekly bouts. A more alarming discovery was that 58 percent of the patients had episodes of violent behaviors while still asleep, 17 percent of which resulted in injuries inflicted on themselves or on their bedfellows.

The occurrence of sleepwalking seems to increase with certain triggers, which include stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol intake, extreme physical activities, and even intense positive emotions. These contribute to an increase of slow wave sleep (deep sleep) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep instability. NREM sleep does not “paralyze” the muscles as rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep does, which raises the chances of sleepwalking.

Dr. Dauvilliers further explains, "We found a higher frequency of daytime sleepiness, fatigue, insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms and altered quality of life in patients with sleepwalking compared to the control group. What would usually be considered a benign condition, adult sleepwalking is a potentially serious condition and the consequences of sleepwalking episodes should not be ignored."

Sleepwalking is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you or your bed partner goes through nocturnal bouts of unconscious movement, try avoiding the mentioned triggers as much as you can, and immediately seek professional help.

(Photo by megan ann via Flickr Creative Commons)