why do we somtimes sleep walk.?

Answer 1

Not quite the gene for sleepwalking
Monday, 22 April 2002



Adult sleepwalking can be a dangerous activity — and Swiss neurologists say they have now found it runs in the family.

The findings were presented by Dr Claudio Bassetti, from the University of Switzerland in Zurich, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Denver, Colorado, on Friday.

In a study of 74 patients who were diagnosed with adult sleepwalking, the researchers found that more than half had a specific gene, which was only present in 24 per cent of healthy people.

The gene, called HLA DQB1*05 is one of a family of genes producing proteins called HLA, which are involved in regulating the immune system. The particular variant of the HLA gene determines immune compatibility, which affects, for example, whether a transplant will be accepted or rejected.

According to Dr Antonio Ambrogetti of the Newcastle Sleep Disorders Centre, the same genetic variant of the HLA gene has been found to be associated with another sleep disorder called narcolepsy.

Dr Bassetti and colleagues found that 58 per cent of patients had been sleepwalking since childhood and 24 per cent of patients had other family members who were also sleepwalkers.

Dr Ambrogetti said childhood studies with twins had shown that identical twins were more likely to sleepwalk if the other did, than non-identical twins.

"This is the classic epidemiological way of showing family association," he said.

"So it's been known for some time that childhood sleepwalking has a familial link and this new study confirms the link."

He said it was the first time a familial relationship had been demonstrated in adult sleepwalking and it was also the first time that a specific genetic marker for adult sleepwalking had been found.

However, what this says about the relationship between the gene and adult sleepwalking is unclear.

"People with adult sleepwalking have an increased frequency of that gene but that doesn't mean the gene is responsible for the condition," warned Dr Ambrogetti.

"It could be some other genes close by that happen to be transmitted together through generations are involved."

He points out the gene is unlikely to be useful in a diagnostic test because not all the sleepwalkers had the gene and one in four of the control group had it.

"However, the finding is scientifically interesting in narrowing down the identification of the genes that may be involved," he said.

Dr Bassetti and team believe that adult sleepwalking may overlap with another sleep disorder called REM sleep behaviour disorder.

"Normally, REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep is accompanied physiologically by paralysis, which protects us from acting out our dreams," said Dr Bassetti.

"In people with REM sleep behaviour disorder this paralysis doesn't occur normally."

The team found 25 per cent of patients had increased muscle activity during REM sleep.

However, Dr Ambrogetti commented that while clinical symptoms might be similar, the two conditions had very different origins.

"Sleepwalking occurs during non-REM sleep. When a person sleepwalks they are not acting out a dream whereas in REM sleep behaviour disorder — where people might punch the bed or jump out of bed, or even injure the bed partner — they usually are."

Dr Bassetti and colleagues found that 32 per cent of patients reported violent incidents occurring while sleepwalking and 19 per cent reported injuries occurring while sleepwalking.

However Dr Ambrogetti points out that the sample of sleepwalkers studied were not representative of the general population of sleepwalkers.

"Sleepwalkers usually only get noticed when they injure themselves," he said.

Dr Ambrogetti said he once treated a sleepwalker who tried to join the reserve army while sleepwalking.

"Others walk into glass doors and the like," he said.

"But most sleepwalkers don't do anything violent."

Dr Ambrogetti said sleepwalking was made worse by overtiredness and stimulants, and could be treated by short-acting benzodiazepines.

Sleepwalking affects 50 per cent of children up to the age of 15, but only five to 10 per cent persist in sleepwalking into adulthood.

Anna Salleh – ABC Science Online

Answer 2

Sleepwalking (also called noctambulism or somnambulism), under the larger category of Parasomnias, is a sleep disorder where the sufferer engages in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state. Sleepwalking can affect people of any age. It generally occurs when an individual awakes suddenly from Slow Wave Sleep (SWS or sometimes referred to as "deep sleep"), causing the sleepwalking episode. In children and young adults, up to 25% of the night is spent in SWS. However this decreases as the person ages until none can be measured in the geriatric individual. For this reason, children and young adults (or anyone else with high amount of SWS), are more likely to be woken up and, for the same reasons, they are witnessed to have many more episodes than the older individuals.

Answer 3

I am not sure if there is a scientific reason. I think people sleep walk because they think they still have something to do. Some minds just cannot shut down when we're sleeping.

Answer 4

Let me say a few words about sleep in general before I answer your specific question. The normal sleep cycle includes 4 stages of non-REM sleep (NREM), along with alternating periods of REM sleep (REM stands for rapid eye movement). If you look at electroencephalograms (EEG), which show electrical activity of the brain you would find that while you are awake, your brain waves are somewhat random looking and fast. As you begin to fall asleep (e.g., when you are drowsy) alpha waves, which are associated with relaxation and perhaps creativity, dominate. As you enter the first stage of sleep (stage 1), your brain deactivates, you lose awareness of the external world and brain waves start to slow down. Stage 2, which is also NREM, actually looks somewhat similar to an awake state on an EEG. We spend about half of our total sleep time in this stage. In stages 3. and 4, delta waves predominate. This tends to be the deepest part of sleep, and usually called "slow wave sleep." If someone awakens you during stages 3 or 4, you are likely to be confused or disoriented.

There is an orderly progression from stage 1 to stage 4, and typically within 90 minutes, you enter your first REM (dream) stage. This 90 minute cycle of NREM-REM repeats itself through out the night. About one quarter of your total sleep time is REM (fast wave) and the rest is NREM (slow wave).

Most scientists believe that dreaming only occurs during REM. In the morning, you usually awaken from your last REM stage, and that is why we can remember some of our dreams.

Sleepwalking (Somnambulism) is a series of complex behaviors that are initiated during slow wave (NREM) sleep (stage 3 or 4 sleep) and result in walking or other movements. These episodes typically occur in the first third of the sleep episode. The onset of this disorder is usually in pre-pubertal children (prior to age 11 or 12). The features of sleepwalking include difficulty in arousing the child during an episode and amnesia following an episode (in other words, you will not remember it).

Research reports indicate that about 18% of the population are prone to sleepwalking. It is more common in children than in adolescents and adults. Boys are more likely to sleepwalk than girls and the highest rates of sleepwalking are seen at ages 11 to 12. Sleepwalking may have a genetic origin, and it can last into adulthood.

For some people, the episodes of sleepwalking occur less than once per month and do not result in any harm. However, in its most severe form, the episodes occur almost every night and may be associated with physical injury.

There are some things you can do to help a sleepwalker: make sure the person gets plenty of rest as being overtired can trigger a episode. Try to make bedtime ritual as relaxing as possible as stress can be another trigger for sleepwalking. Remove anything from the bedroom that could be hazardous or harmful. The sleepwalker's bedroom should be on the ground floor of the house and the possibility of the person opening windows or doors should be eliminated.

Night terrors are somewhat similar to sleepwalking and some children or adults may have both. These are characterized by a sudden arousal from slow wave sleep (stage 3 or 4 sleep) with a piercing scream or cry. The episodes also usually occur within the first third of the night and typically the person will not remember them the next day. Note that night terrors are different than nightmares, which occur during REM sleep. Here the person remembers their terrifying dream and there is no amnesia for the event

SLEEP WALKING
Sleep walking (somnambulism) refers to everything from sitting up in bed to getting up and performing detailed tasks. The sleeper does these things as though in a trance. It's relatively harmless provided the walker is protected from harmful situations like upper story windows, bunk beds and stairs.

SYMPTOMS:
Rising from the bed during sleep
Blank face. Stares into space
Unresponsive when spoken to
Difficult to awaken
No recall of the incident
May consist of sitting up making walking motions, actually walking, or even performing detailed tasks.

TREATMENT
Again, as in nightmares, sleep talking, etc., stress can be a big factor.
Try relaxation techniques or meditation prior to bed time.
Avoid becoming over tired or fatigued.
Some drugs can cause episodes of sleep walking.
Avoid the use of alcohol.
If you sleep with someone, have them awaken you if you become restless.
If you sleep walk, make sure your surroundings are safe and obstacle free. Avoid sleeping upstairs or in an upper bunk.

Answer 5

i never sleepwalk but my lil brother does.

Answer 6

we? hmm..i never did sleep walk :)