Sleepwalking - Causes

Creator: Dr. Anitha Paderla
Keywords: Sleep, Causes, Wakefulness, Sleep Walking, REM sleep, NREM sleep, Rapid Eye Movement, Non Rapid Eye Movement, causes of Sleepwalking, Parasomnias causes, sleeping disorder, cause for Somnambulism, Parasomnia incidents, Sleep Disturbances, sleep disorders, sleep complaints, causes of sleep problems

Written by - Dr. Anitha Paderla, MBBS

Medically Reviewed by - Dr. Sunil Shroff, MBBS, MS, FRCS (UK), D. Urol (Lond)

Last Updated on Jun 27, 2014

Causes

Disruption of the normal regulation of the different phases of sleep maybe responsible for Sleepwalking; however its actual cause is unknown.

Wakefulness, Rapid Eye Movement and Non Rapid Eye Movement sleep states overlap as transition occurs from one state to another. A smooth flow of these states is essential for good sleep. Dissociation of this smooth transition may cause sleepwalking. This can be aggravated by the following factors-

Fever
Sleep Deprivation and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Other disorders that disrupt slow-wave sleep
Internal stimuli, such as a full urinary bladder
External stimuli, such as noises
Personality disorders
Relationship difficulties
Drugs, like thioridazine, fluphenazine, perphenazine, desipramine, chloral hydrate, and lithium

Published on Jun 17, 2014
Last Updated on Jun 27, 2014

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