A person
experiencing sleep walking disorder will get out of bed and walk
around during the night. Many times, the person will not communicate
and will have a blank stare on their face. Once awakened, the
person seldom remembers the details of the sleep walking episode.
During the sleep walking, some people may negotiate stairs, go
out of doors, or eat a snack. Children who experience sleep walking
usually outgrow it. However, sleep walking in adults can be chronic
and last for many years.
Main criteria involves:
On numerous occasions, the patient arises and walks about, usually
during the first third of sleep.
During sleepwalking,
the patient stares blankly, can be awakened only with difficulty
and responds poorly to others' attempts at communication.
Although there may
be a brief period of confusion upon first awakening, within a
few minutes the patient's behavior and mental activity are normal
and unimpaired.
After the episode
or the next morning, the patient has no memory of the sleep walking
activity.
The symptoms cause
clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal
functioning.
Not directly caused
by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications
and
drugs of abuse.
Associated
Features:
Other characteristics
that can occur with sleep disorders include depression, decreased
concentration, fatigue, anxiety, and irritability. People with
chronic sleep problems tend to have other illnesses such as stomach
problems, muscle aches, and headaches.
Differential
Diagnosis:
Some disorders
have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician, therefore,
in his/her diagnostic attempt has to differentiate against the
following disorders which need to be ruled out to establish
a precise diagnosis.
Cause:
Sleep problems
frequently occur around periods of stress. As an example, it is
not at all uncommon for a person's sleep to be disrupted following
the death of a loved one or around the time of a major medical
problem. Therefore, many sleep problems resolve once the stress
is resolved or the medical condition subsides. However, some sleep
disorders can begin with an acute problem and become a chronic
sleep problem. This usually does not indicate a serious disorder,
although it can be a symptom of other disorders.
In general,
sleep disorders can occur at any age. However, sleep problems
do increase with increasing age. These problems are very common
in our culture. More than twenty percent (20%) of adults will
complain of sleep problems at some period in their lives.
