What makes kids sleep walk

Still, some simple steps can keep your young sleepwalker safe while traipsing about. What Causes Sleepwalking? Things that may bring on a sleepwalking episode include: lack of sleep or fatigue irregular sleep schedules illness or fever some medicines stress What Happens During Sleepwalking? But young sleepwalkers may also: sleeptalk be hard to wake up seem dazed be clumsy not respond when spoken to sit up in bed and go through repeated motions, such as rubbing their eyes or fussing with their pajamas Also, sleepwalkers' eyes are open, but they don't see the same way they do when they're awake.

Sometimes, these other conditions may happen with sleepwalking: sleep apnea brief pauses in breathing while sleeping bedwetting enuresis night terrors Page 2 Is Sleepwalking Harmful?

How to Keep a Sleepwalker Safe Sleepwalking isn't dangerous by itself. To help keep your sleepwalker out of harm's way: Try not to wake a sleepwalker because this might scare your child.

Instead, gently guide him or her back to bed. Lock the windows and doors, in your child's bedroom and throughout your home, in case your young sleepwalker decides to wander.

You may consider extra locks or child safety locks on doors. Keep keys out of reach for kids who are old enough to drive. To prevent falls, don't let your sleepwalker sleep in a bunk bed. Remove sharp or breakable things from around your child's bed. Keep dangerous objects out of reach. Remove obstacles from your child's room and throughout your home to prevent a stumble.

Get rid of clutter on the floor in your child's bedroom or playroom. When Should I Call the Doctor? There's usually no need to treat sleepwalking unless the episodes are: very regular cause your child to be sleepy during the day involve dangerous behaviors If the sleepwalking happens often, causes problems, or your child hasn't outgrown it by the early teen years, talk to your doctor. What Else Should I Know? A recent survey found that around 1 percent of preschool children and 2 percent of school-aged children sleepwalk at least a few nights each week.

Because the person is in a deep sleep throughout the episode, he or she usually will not have any memory of the activity. Of course, getting out of bed and walking around while still sleeping is the most obvious sleepwalking symptom. But young sleepwalkers may also:.

Some steps to take include:. Sleepwalking is far more common in kids than in adults, and tends to run in some families. Most sleepwalkers outgrow it by the early teen years, and it is rarely caused by an underlying medical, emotional or psychological problem. Nakra became interested in sleep medicine while completing his pulmonary medicine fellowship and his research investigated the associations between sleep apnea, obesity and markers for metabolic syndrome. He is board certified in pulmonology, pediatrics and sleep medicine.

He completed his pediatric residency at the St. His professional interests include working with colleagues in pediatric endocrinology, otolaryngology, neonatology and plastic surgery to help with the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. I also believe it is important to encourage families to ask questions and feel comfortable before embarking on a treatment plan.

Newborns and babies should get the recommended amount of sleep based on their age. Healthy sleep guidelines for your baby. Our newsroom covers trending topics, interesting tidbits, fresh parenting tips and the latest medical advice from our experts.

To receive pediatric news and stories right to your inbox, sign up below. Children Who Sleepwalk. What Parents Need To Know. Common sleepwalking myths include: Waking up a sleep walker will harm them.

You can kill a sleep walker if you wake them up. Sleep walking only impacts the sleep walker at night. This is also not true. The time spent sleepwalking is not true restful sleep, so it can cause issues during the day. Kids can also be nervous about going to sleep if they know they may sleepwalk. Get to know Hilary Pearson, M. Thank you for your message. It will be posted after approval.

About Checkup Newsroom: Checkup Newsroom showcases even more of the kids health news you search for and expect from our health care system.