Does Your Child Sleepwalk?
by jenfooteThere are a fairly large number of children who sleepwalk. Many studies have stated that sleepwalking mostly occurs in children between the ages of five and thirteen; however, it is possible for anyone of any age to have a sleepwalking problem.
Sleep walking happens when a child rises from sleep without really waking up all of the way. They are able to leave their bed and walk around their room or the rest of the home without realizing that they are doing so. It is possible that children who are sleepwalking can open up doors, closets, cupboards, and more. The majority of children do not remember sleepwalking the next morning. Sometimes a parent or another family member will find the child sleepwalking and return him or her back to their bed, but other times sleepwalking can be dangerous.
Since a number of children are able to open up doors and closets there is the potential for children getting into a room that may not be childproof or they could even end up outside. The dangerous associated with sleepwalking are extremely dangerous and in a small number of cases deadly. Parents, with children off all ages, are encouraged to make sure that all doors are locked and that stairways are protected with baby gates. This will prevent a sleep walking child from falling down a stairway or ending up outside.
There are a number of things that a parent can do at home to help minimize the dangers associated with sleepwalking, but a physician may need to do the rest. With children who regularly sleepwalk a doctor may prescribe a medication to help them sleep better and reduce the amount of sleeping walking episodes. Sleepwalking is a serious issue that should be dealt with right away. If your child has been sleepwalking or if they just started schedule an appointment with their physician to get the treatment started.
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May 17th, 2006 at 6:50 am
My 4 year old daughter has started sleep walking recently and last night the episode started at 11pm and is still ongoing now (0747)! My wife can’t seem to wake her up (properly) from it, so I doubt she will be going to school. She has drifted in and out of conventional sleep from 11pm with almost hourly episodes of shouting and surreal conversations
Is this not a bit extreme for a four year old. Any suggestions? Doctor and Drugs or perhaps establishing the root cause (I suspect it’s at school - she is quite a sensitive anxious child)