Sleepwalking
Brendan M. Murphy
BME 382 – Fall ‘08
BME 382
For basic human life to function
Fall ‘08
correctly, it needs many different aspects of
the body to work correctly. One of these
specific functions is sleeping. Although the
main cause of sleeping is unknown to science,
we are painfully aware that it is necessary to
survival. During sleep, some parts of the
brain actually increase activity. Also, the body
tends to produce more of certain hormones.
Of course, when dealing with something as
complex as a human, something is bound to
go wrong. There are many different types of
sleep disorders, but one such disorder is
sleepwalking.
Sleepwalking, aka Somnambulism, is
a sleeping disorder that is characterized by
the participation of a wide range of detailed
activities while sleeping. Sleepwalking
behavior can range from simply getting out of
bed and walking around the room to driving a
car. Sleepwalking usually occurs during the
slow-wave stages of non-rapid eye movement
(NREM) sleep. Although it is mostly common
in adults, sleepwalking can affect people of
any age. Also, it is believed that this condition
has a genetic tendency.
The exact cause of sleepwalking is
unknown, but there are specific environmental
factors (such as fever, stress, magnesium
deficiency, alcohol Intoxication, or drug
usage),
physiologic
factors (such
as length and
depth of slow
wave sleep,
pregnancy, or
menstruation)
and associated
medical
conditions
(such as
arrhythmia, nighttime asthma, nighttime
seizures, obstructive sleep apnea, or
gastroesophageal reflux).
There are
several key ways to
diagnose
sleepwalking; Eyes
open during sleep,
may have a blank
look on their face,
may sit up and
appear to be awake,
walking/performing
other detailed activity,
not remembering the
episode upon
awakening,
confusion/disorientati
on upon awakening,
speech that does not
make sense.
Unfortunately, no actual cure for this sleep
disorder has been invented yet. The most that one
can do is to perform basic safety measures to
ensure injury prevention. Some examples are
moving furniture, locking windows, blocking
staircases, and even putting a alarm bell on the
door. Also, prevent any auditory or visual stimuli
before bedtime. The most important thing you can
do is get enough sleep.
As we dive head first into the 21st century
many unanswered problems will be discovered
and solved. It seems that one such question
waiting to be answered is sleepwalking. Hopefully,
with the advances of medicine, we can solve this
bizarre disorder.
References:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sleepwalking/pag
e7_em.htm
http://neurology.health-cares.net/sleepwalking.php
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleepwalking/page2.h
tm#toci
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/00
0808.htm
http://www.101funpages.com/html/imgs/page_imgs
/dsd0502/sleepwalking.gif
http://www.medscape.com/content/2003/00/45/86/
458614/art-jphc458614.fig1.gif