Sleep Walking | Causes and Precautions

Sleep walking is known as one of the most dangerous sleep disorders. Basically, the individual does not know about his/her act of walking during sleep. It can cause a serious situation with the sufferer himself or any other person due to this act of walking. Therefore, susceptible should be kept under surveillance once found walking while sleeping.

Causes of sleep walking

The causes of sleepwalking and sleep talking are almost the same. Sleep deprivation is a common reason leading to such sleep disorders. The other associated causes are the use of sedative drugs including alcohol. The psychiatric and psychological problems also lead to sleepwalking. The children are more susceptible to the sleepwalking problem and the main reason is sleep deprivation. Nightmares are also a cause in the children’s sleep walking. In the current era, the burden of studies leads to sleep deprivation in the children which further causes the sleepwalking problem.

Possible hazards of sleep walking disorders

Sleepwalking is a hazardous issue because the individual does not about the condition. Actually, he/she sleeps but moves towards an unknown direction. Even a blind person knows about his/her moving activity but a sleepwalker doesn’t. So, walking while asleep is more dangerous than a blind person moving without an attendant. A sleepwalker can meet any unforeseen incident unavoidably. Here are some possible hazards that a person can face while walking during sleep. It will help you to understand the severity of such sleep disorders.

v                 A person sleeping on the roof of the building is more prone to meet an accident while walking during sleep. Especially, a roof without boundary walls is more dangerous for such a person.

v                 Naked electric wires, switchboard are also the hazards. Moreover, electrical appliances, like fans, heaters, and geezers are also unsafe for a person walking during sleep.

v                 Fire can also be a serious hazard for the sleeping person at the near location.

v                 A location near to the habitat of exotic animals is also risky. For example, a person sleeping in the vicinity of a zoo can face any incident when walks to the cage of an exotic animal.

v                 A person with sleep disorders of walking can also create a critical situation for the roommates or partner.

v                 Children can fall from the bed or swing. Moreover, the baby can also move outside the house as a result of sleep walking.

Precautionary measures against sleep walking

People susceptible to walking while the asleep need to be kept under surveillance. The motivation is the very first important step you must take in this regard. The individual must know about his condition and severity of the hazards related to this problem. The following precautionary measures can help to minimize the risk of hazards. However, close surveillance is necessary even after treatment.

Ø                  Sleeping on the roof of the building without boundary walls must be avoided.

Ø                  Placing obstacles in the vicinity of susceptible can minimize the risk of incidents. He/she may awake while striking the obstacle. However, the obstacle must be a safe one.

Ø                  All the electrical points and appliances must be kept out of reach.

Ø                  Preferably, the susceptible person must not sleep in an open area where he/she can free walk in different directions.

Ø                  The children should be induced in the studies gradually as per their capacity and age. They must be allowed sufficient time to complete their normal sleep.

Treatment/management of sleep walking

There is no significant treatment for sleepwalking disorders. This problem is caused as a result of other sleep disorders. So, treating the causative factor is helpful to control over sleep walking problem.

ü                  Sleep deprivation is one of the major problems of sleepwalking syndrome that can be treated with sufficient sleep.

ü                  For psychiatric and psychological problems, the management can minimize the episodes of this problem.

ü                  Special care and management are necessary in the cases of children because it can lead to other sleep disorders and health issues if the problem continues for a prolonged period. The individuals known cases of drug and alcohol dependence must be treated in rehabilitation centers. Till the completion of treatment, the patients must be kept under close surveillance.

Sleep Disorders | Sleep Talking

Sleep talking is one of the interesting but troublous states in which the individual is unaware of his/her condition. Episodes and patterns of talking occur during different stages. During the initial few hours of sleep, the individual talks clearly that a person close to him can easily understand the wording. In deep sleep, the listener cannot understand the words. Talking is one of the most interesting sleep disorders which most of the listeners enjoy. Asleep talker becomes the focus of roommate’s discussions and a source of humor for them. On the other side, the condition is embarrassing for the individual himself. The sufferer does not know what happens with him/her.

To some extent, the roommate or partner feels uncomfortable because of loud sounds. It also causes disturbance for them as well. The frequent talking awakes the partner which causes the development of different types of sleep disorders to the partner. In some cases, the interruption in the sufferer has been noticed. In the first or second stage, when the individual is in light sleep, he/she can hear the sound himself. This sound also causes disturbance of the sufferer as well. 

Types of sleep talking

There is no specific type of sleep talking however it can be categorized as per severity criteria. The severity of talking during sleep also depends upon the cause.

1.        Mild condition

The episodes occurring with more than a week interval are categorized as mild. The condition is negligible and usually cannot be included in the sleep orders. 

2.        Moderate condition 

The episodes occurring less than week duration are categorized as moderate. This condition creates an irritating environment for roommates and partners. The moderate condition must be considered as a sleep disorder and a physician must be consulted.

3.        Sever condition 

Episodes occurring every night are considered as sever. Even the repeated episodes over the night are more critical and irritating for the roommates or life partner. The immediate consultation of a physician is strongly recommended.

Probable causes of sleep talking

 Usually, the causes of talking during sleep are unknown. Still, no clinical or pathological change specifically related to this problem has been observed.  In some cases, the family history of talking has been noticed. It happens with the families during deep sleep. Interesting thing is that everyone sleeping in a single room does not know about the scene. However, a guest or stranger spending a night with the sleep talking family can notice this horrible situation. In most of the cases, the reason is unknown; however, the people with the following health issues have been noticed with this kind of sleep disorders.

• Stress is one of the reasons for developing the symptoms. Especially, a person with prolonged stress is more prone to develop such sleep disorders. The factors causing frustration and apprehension lead to stress in the people which may further cause talking during sleep.
• The patients suffering from depression and anxiety have been noted with sleep talking problems. Prolonged sleeplessness is one of the symptoms of depression/anxiety which may develop talking disorders as well. However, depression is not the specific cause of this problem.
• Some medical conditions like high-grade fever leads to drowsiness which may also cause uncontrolled or involuntary talking problem. However, this condition is critical and must be treated immediately. The decrease in body temperature can be helpful.
• Different types of sleep disorders also lead to night talking in the patients. Nightmares, sleep apnea, rapid eye movement (REM sleep behavior disorders) can cause talking during sleep.
• Dependence on sedatives is also a major cause of talking during sleep. The use of alcohol also either causes or aggravates the condition. The majority of drug dependents and alcohol users have been noticed with this disorder.

Who is more susceptible to developing sleep talking disorders?

 There is no specific category or age group involved in the sleep disorders of talking. However, children are more prone to develop this problem. In addition to the above, overwork is also a reason for talking. After day hard work, a fatigued person is more likely to develop the symptoms. 

Treatment of sleep talking

Talking during sleep is not itself a disease. It may be resulting from other disorders or illnesses. Treating the cause can decrease the onset. Along with the treatment of the cause, the change in sleeping habits and posture is also helpful. Usually, the people sleeping in a supine position have been noticed with talking or snoring. Sleeping on the lateral position can reduce the severity of such sleep disorders.

In a medical condition like fever, immediate consultation is recommended. In case of delay, cold sponging, use of anti paretic medicines should be given.

Excessive sleeping | Is it Bad or good for health?

What is excessive sleeping or oversleeping?

The normal nighttime sleep from 7-9 hours cannot be considered as excessive sleeping for adults. Similarly, the children sleep hours change with their age and growth. However, in some cases we see the people sleeping beyond the normal sleep hours. Even some people cannot control their sleep while on work. After sufficient sleep during the night, they seem to be feeling sleepy during the daytime. You may have noticed people sleeping while traveling on a bus, train or airplane. Let us differentiate the condition of excessive sleeping from usual sleep.

5 Probable causes of excessive sleeping

There are different causes of excessive sleepiness during the daytime. However, the main reason behind the prolonged daytime sleep is deprivation during the night. The night is best for sleep. 6-8 hours quiet night sleep refreshes the body systems. The daytime or extended sleep is mostly due to lack of sleep during the night. The probable causes of excessive sleep are as under:-

1. Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is one of the major causes of sleep deprivation which results in excessive sleepiness during daytime. Obstructive sleep apnea causes a disturbance in sleep but the individual does not know about the condition. However, a roommate or spouse sleeping next to the bed can notice the condition. We will discuss sleep apnea in another post.

2. Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivations may also lead to excessive sleeping. However, the individual can recover with rest. The repeated exposure to sleep deprivation can aggravate the condition followed by other symptoms like headache, nausea, lethargy, apathy, and fatigue.

3. Sedating medicines

Uses of sedating medicines also cause an increase in sleep. Even the patient sleeps more during the daytime. The sedative medicines prescribed by a doctor are given for a specific period. Continuous use of sedating drugs can cause other complications. So, it is recommended that the use of sedating medicines beyond medical advice should be avoided.

4. Certain medical and psychiatric conditions

Some particular medical and psychiatric conditions also cause excessive sleep. The patient sustaining concussion feels drowsiness during the daytime. Some of the Neurological conditions like Parkinsonism also lead to excessive daytime sleepiness. Psychiatric illness like depression and anxiety may lead to daytime sleep. The patients suffering from depression/anxiety either sleep too much or feel sleeplessness.

5. Unbalanced lifestyle

The smartphone has brought a change in the lifestyle of a common person. This change also affected the natural sleep of the people. The easy, uninterrupted and portable access to social media and other platforms has made the people too busy that they don’t care about the sleep and rest hours. Especially, the young generation has become the target of this access. Connecting with the mobile phone keeps the user awake unnecessarily during the night. This irregular sleep also causes excessive sleep during the daytime.

How to control excessive sleeping?

Once you know about the cause of excessive sleep during the daytime, you can easily manage it except medical and psychiatric conditions. The individual or his roommate/partner can understand the reason for excessive sleepiness. For any medical and psychiatric cause immediately consult the physician. However, for self-imposed causes like voluntary awaking during the night and use of sedative drugs can be controlled with motivation.