Thursday, July 10, 2008

Common Symptoms of Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a well known but poorly understood sleep disorder. Although many people move their legs during their sleep, movements are often sporadic and erratic. Sleepwalking occurs when a person moves their legs in synchronization, which is a lot less prevalent.

During a sleepwalking episode, a person may appear to move around and perform normal actions that he would do while awake. Sleepwalking can affect people from all ages, and is usually harmless. In fact, most people do not even realise they are sleepwalkers unless someone informs them of their behavior. During an episode the sleepwalker is not conscious and thus will not remember anything about it.

Common symptoms of sleepwalking are eyes open but with a glazed and unresponsive look. If approached, sleepwalkers may not respond or speak unintelligibly.

The best solution is to ensure that the room is free from hazardous objects, that windows are latched and dangerous tools kept away. If you see someone sleepwalking, the best thing to do would be to gently lead the person back to their bed.