Sleepwalking In Children: Causes, Symptoms, and How To Stop and Keep It Safe – Does Your child often sleepwalking? It could be your child experiencing somnambulism. This condition occurs when a child wakes up while sleeping, but is unaware of their deeds. This situation occurs in many children aged 4 to 8 years.
Children who experience sleepwalking, will wake up from their bed and walk around in the condition of falling asleep. Although it may be that their eyes are open, you can see that the gaze is not like the person being awake.
Most children who experience somnambulism, start walking about one to two hours after falling asleep. The length of an episode can last from 5 to 15 minutes. This behavior is usually harmless and most children will heal on their own. However, this condition can be dangerous if it is not noticed, it is important that you keep your child from getting hurt as they go to sleep.
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Causes of Sleepwalking In Children
Children of all ages often experience sleepwalking, and the cause is not fully understood. Perhaps due to the development of an immature nervous system in children.
It is estimated that about 10% of children will experience sleep walking at least once at the age of 3-10 years. Most often occurs at the age of 5 years.
Sleepwalking disorder is caused by many factors, such as
- Lack of sleep,
- Fatigue,
- Stress,
- Depression,
- Anxiety,
- Fever, and
- Ongoing treatment (such as short-term hypnotics).
This disorder can also occur due to health problems such as:
- Respiratory sleep disorders,
- Narcolepsy,
- Gastric acid disease,
- Migraine,
- Hyperthyroidism,
- Stroke,
- Head injury, and
- Restless legs syndrome.
- The child is also more susceptible to experiencing a sleepwalking if there is a family member with the same history.
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What are the signs and symptoms of sleepwalking disorder?
Although this condition is not dangerous, but mothers need to be vigilant because sleep while walking makes the child vulnerable to falling and injured.
Sleepwalking disorders are not just characterized by sleepwalking activity, but also signs and symptoms like the following:
- Sit in bed and do repetitive movements.
- Get up and walk around the house.
- Talking or muttering in sleep.
- Don’t respond when you talk.
- Making sloppy movements.
- Pee at any place.
- Perform routine or repetitive movements such as opening and closing doors.
How to stop sleepwalking in children and Keep Them Safe
Do not panic as the child delirious
When you find your toddler delirious while walking, it is best to stay calm. Stop by hugging him, and soothe him not to be surprised. Avoid sounds or movements that make noise so that it makes it even more afraid. Raise the toddler back to bed without having to wake him up. Then, you can try to get your toddler back by patching your baby’s body gently to soothe. Try also by swiping his back to make it easier to fall asleep.
Try the nap enough
Some factors that make toddlers are not calm when sleeping is a body that is too tired, lack of sleep, pain, or anxiety. Toddlers at this age require 12-14 hours of sleep. If the toddler has enough sleep time, but he still often has a sleepwalking, it could be genetic. According to Dr. Jacques Montplaisir’s research from the University of Montreal, Canada, 60 percent of the child sleepwalking when both parents had also done the same thing.
Read fairy tales before bedtime
Experts assume nightmares, including one of the causes of sleepwalking-causing factors in children because making sleep so uncomfortable. Given the bad experiences and unpleasant things that occur throughout the day can also cause the child nightmares, it would be good if mother reads the fairy tale before bedtime for the child so that she was not remembered with the scariest experiences for a day.
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Well, that’s some of the things that you need to know about Sleepwalking In Children and how to overcome it. By knowing this, hopefully you can help the child to get a better quality sleep for the development of toddlers more optimal. If the sleep disorder runs with the child is not also reduced, you should immediately consult the pediatrician.
