10 year old sleep walking?

Question

My 10 year old son who is sleep walking and talking.He will get up out of bed and come to me and ask if that water in his room can drown him.Regardless of the answer I give him he will say oh and go back to bed.He has brought me his pillow and told me to keep it,it has bugs.He appears to be sleeping while he does this.He got out of my house at 3am and went to the neighbors crying saying I was not at home.The next morning he remember nothing.he never remembers a thing he says or does the night before.He even thinks Im making this stuff up.Last night he tried to go outside at 11:30pm saying he`s going out to play.I put him on the couch and he was sound asleep but in a sweat.I have 5 other boys ages 24 months,9yrs,14yrs,15yrs and 16yrs old.None of the others do this.how can I put a stop to this without medication because I refuse to medicate a healthy child.Im really scared now for his safety.I live in the country now.Too much out here to get a lil boy at night.

Im sorry stargirl,this question was only for those who might have experience in sleep walking and not someone who talks out of their butt.He is a very healthy boy.

Answer 1

I have a 10-yr old grandson who spends weekends, summers, holidays, etc. with me. He too sleepwalks. I've done some reading on it and talked to my psychiatrist about it. Consensus seems to be that it's normal for some children and they can outgrow it. Don't try to wake him up; he's in a very deep sleep and is not aware of what he is doing. It's better not to tell him about it in the morning because as you have found out it only upsets him. My grandson is the same way. They perceive it as you mocking them, telling stories to "get them in trouble", or they don't like to think they're not in control of what they do.

Medication of any kind will probably not work. It's best to create a calm environment for him before he goes to bed--no violent tv or video games, maybe a "soothing" movie he likes that makes him smile or is non-threatening in any way. Reading is definitely a good move. Either read to him or you do it.

My grandson also tried to unlock the front door, but fortunately I was in the kitchen and heard him so I was able to lead him back to bed. It was suggested that I lock his door to prevent his night walking, but I worry about an emergency and not being able to get to him in time. Besides, sometimes he gets up in the middle of the night to go bathroom. You can use bells over his door or on the handle that will wake you or one of your other children up if he starts to walk. If you can, maybe install a lock high enough up that only an adult could reach.

I don't let my grandson eat before bedtime--especially spicy foods or chocolate. Stimulants like caffeine-loaded drinks should be avoided.

One thing I did learn is that stress can play a huge factor in a child's sleepwalking. I went through a really rough patch this summer and took everything out on everyone around me. I noticed the correlation between my outbursts and the number of times he walked during the night. Interestingly enough, for him, the walking would start within 2 hours of falling asleep, but never after that--for instance, by 11:00, but never at 3:00. Is there something going on in your family life that has him upset or maybe something is going on in school that he's not talking about. You may want to casually check with his friends and have a chat with his teacher just to see how he's doing. You don't mention a father figure. If there was a recent divorce, that could be affecting him. Or, if he sees the father only once in awhile that could be stressful for him. I know when my grandson sees his biological mother (which is so infrequent it almost never happens--her choosing) there will be a sleepwalking episode.

Try keeping a journal or log of what happened that day/night when he sleepwalks and maybe you'll see a pattern.

Good luck with this. You might want to take him to his family doctor for a check-up just to be sure everything is OK physically. He may be beginning to develop early and is getting used to some changes within him. The main thing is for you to stay calm so he doesn't pick up on your fears.

Answer 2

Well you could try putting locks high up (out of his reach) on the doors going out of your home, to try to keep him in but I don't recommend locking him in his room due to it being a safety risk if a fire was to occur . You really need to get him to a doctor considering he's already gotten out of the house a few times. Could you live with yourself if he was to get hurt in the middle of the night? I also take issue with the whole healthy child thing, healthy children do not have severe sleep disturbances. Let a professional examine him.

Answer 3

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Take Care and God Bless you !

Answer 4

This is normal. He's probably just having some awesome dreams.

Answer 5

You need to get him to the doctor ASAP. This could be potentially dangerous!