What are the causes?

Question

My six year old son has resently been waking up in the middle of the night. Below are a few things that he does.
He sits up and moves his lips like he's talking to someone.
Gets outta bed and walks to the bathroom like he has to go but just stands there and then walks back to bed.
Sits up and starts crying but doesnt want anyone one to comfort him.
Gets up goes in the bathroom and takes his cloths off, uses a towel to clean him self up and goes back to bed naked. (It's like he thinks he pee'd to bed but never does)

I'm posting this here because I need some answers.

Answer 1

It sounds like he is sleepwalking. Here is a blurb about the symptoms of sleepwalking:

"The child may sit up in bed and repeat certain movements, such as rubbing his or her eyes or fumbling with clothes. The child may get out of bed and walk around the room. The child may look dazed, and his or her movements may be clumsy. When you talk to your child, he or she usually will not answer you." (from http://familydoctor.org/160.xml )

Sleepwalking is not uncommon in children and tends to be most common between the ages of 4 and 12. The causes for sleepwalking are not entirely clear, but usually stems from incomplete waking during deep sleep. It is not necessarily a sign of emotional disturbance. The primary concern for parents should be to ensure safety for the child who sleepwalks. I was a sleepwalker as a child and my parents put a string with a bell across my door so it would wake them up if I left the room. The family lore is that I would stand in front of the string and yell for someone to get rid of the bell! If you find your child sleepwalking, you should gently take him back to bed. Don't yell or shake him to wake him up as that could be frightening for him. Most children outgrow sleepwalking.

Here is a site with more info: http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/slpwalking.html

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I guessing that he doesn't remember any of this when you try and talk to him about it. Yeah, I think you're right. He's dreaming that these things are occurring. Was he a bed-wetter for time? Is there another child that is bed-wetting? It's like his unconscious mind is trying to make sure that he isn't one, or doesn't begin that activity again. I don't think it's harmful and hopefully it will end soon. If it doesn't you may want to have him talk to a doctor.

I do wonder from whence this stems (I know you do too).