Sleep Deprivation Can Trigger Sleepwalking

In a research from the Universite de Montreal, it is highly suggested that people who sleepwalk should maintain a regular bedtime to avoid unwanted strolls at night. Somnambulism which mainly affects up to four percent of adults, can bring mental confusion or attacks of amnesia in those affected individuals as they wander unresponsive to their environment.

In a recent edition of the Annals of Neurology, study authors Antonio Zadra, Mathieu Pilon and Jacques Montplaisir explained how they evaluated 40 suspected sleepwalkers. Each of the participants of the study research was referred to the Sleep Research Centre at Sacre-Coeur Hospital, a Universite de Montreal teaching hospital from August 2003 to March 2007.

The study’s lead investigator, Antonio Zadra said that sleep deprivation can trigger sleepwalking in individuals with such condition. Keeping a regular bedtime and avoiding sleep deprivation is strongly recommended for sleepwalkers if they wish to end their late night stroll.

People who participated in the said study agreed to have their standard sleep patterns monitored during a preliminary all-night assessment. During a following visit, patients were asked to stay awake all night and remained under the continuous supervision.

By the nest morning, participants were allowed to have a recovery sleep after they had been awake for 1 day and an hour. Participants were recorded through a video tape during each sleep periods as the research team assessed their behavior, such as playing with bed sheets to trying to jump over the bed rails.  Participants were assessed on a three-point scale based on the density of their actions.

Results of the study were surprising. During a standard sleep, only half of the participants exhibited some 32 behavioral episodes while during the recovery sleep, 90 percent of the patients exhibited a total of 92 behavioral episodes.

The study also revealed that sleepwalkers, previously thought to suffer from an inability to sustain slow-wave or deep sleep, had increased difficulty in passing from slow-wave sleep to another sleep stage of to be totally awake following sleep deprivation. The research likewise revealed that objective methods can now be used for investigating and diagnosing sleepwalking, said Zadra.

Sleep deprivation has a lot of consequences that might bring to an individual. However, sleep deprivation can be avoided by following proper sleeping habits. Even people who find it difficult to fall asleep can seek help from natural sleep remedies.

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