David Lock

My sister contacted me this weekend and said she was worried that her daughter seemed to be suffering with a sleep walking problem. My niece, who is 22 and lives in London, had gone back home to Manchester for the weekend. She went out on Saturday to a Halloween party and my sister heard her get back quite late.

But around 6 in the morning there was a loud knocking on the front door and her daughter was there in a confused state trying to get back in the house. She had had some booze but wasn't out of it. Apparently similar things have happened before but not very often.

Obviously a worry and one immediately thinks of balconies and driving, so what should she do?

I am sure there is a mass on Google but I thought I would ask here if anyone has any direct experience and are there tried and tested remedies?

Thanks, David

Hysteria1983

To be honest mate, there isn't anything to 'cure' sleep walking. It is something that some people suffer with.
It can be really mild where you might just sit up in bed, and then go back to sleep, or to an extent like my brother where you will actually walk about making cups of tea and noodles at 4 am!

If it is to an extent that it is like my brothers I would suggest a visit to the gp. I am not a scaremonger, but I will jus mention that sometime sleep walking can go hand in hand with other problems.
My brother suffers with nocturnal epilepsy, this was only diagnosed 2 years ago after a serious incident. He had been sleepwalking at night for many years and nothing was ever thought about it until that incident.

Maybe it is just worth her having a chat with her gp just to see if there might be anything underlying that may effect her sleep.

David Lock

Thanks. I am sure a visit to her GP willl be first on the list, if she hasn't already done that.

I don't know the girl that well but as far as I do I don't think she is, or has been, a druggie and she certainly doen't go horse riding

I will also ask my own daughter who is at London uni with a faculty of specialists dealing with child development and all sorts of clever stuff.

dl

Hysteria1983

Funny you should say that, my brother was far from your average boy next door.
He did have drug problems when he was a youth, and he is a MMA fighter. Not pro, or semi pro but he dabbles in the sport from time to time.

He was told that it might have been linked to the drugs and fighting but he was also told that they may have had no effect or simply accelerated his condition. It won't really be known.

Fat Boy

Runs in my family in that my gran used to do it almost every night for decades- she'd get out of bed , go downstairs, and sit in a chair "knitting" but with no needles in her hand. They used to put barriers in her way - like a rope across the doorway, (or once even a sort of tin bath full of water ), but she'd just hit the barrier, get back into bed and then about 10 minutes later get out of bed again and navigate her way aroiund every barrier and off downstairs! My first cousin, her grandson, also has it (especially after a feed of beer) and even woke up about 300 yds up the road starkers one night.

It's pretty spooky as their eyes are wide open, and they will even sometimes kind of acknowledge you, but they're asleep.

No health issues with either of my relatives

Hysteria1983

I would suggest your sis gets a lock fitted that your niece doesn't have a key to so that she can't get out.
Usually people who sleep walk don't get harmed as they can function pretty well, BUT if she is actually getting out of the house at stupid o clock in the moring, she could get attacked, raped or even worse.

Leslie

I used to do that occasionally when I was very young, it went away eventually and have not done it since-that I know of anyway

Les

Hysteria1983

Like Fat Boy says, there are no health issues with the history in his family, and like my son, he has night terrors, but he is fit and healthy. So don't get worried, it's just worth getting things checked on to be on the safe side.

David Lock

So at least you didn't borrow a plane and take off

==========

Thanks folk. Interesting, especially FatBoy's comments (thanks).

d

Leslie

I used to drop off to sleep on the longer trips though!

Les

StickyMicky

I used to do it

Once my dad had to stop me from going outside, apparently i was going out to look at some boats


I used to wake up in the morning and find my room rearranged, lol we once found a circle on the floor made from bread buns
Nowadays i seam to have tamed down a little and just tend to talk and laugh in my sleep

StickyMicky

The ex-missus sleptwalked a few times and her eyes, while open, were always kind of dead/vacant/glazed over, it really is quite bizzare.

Tried once or twice to have a conversation with her, and never really got very far as she just ended up confused.
Once i was lieing on the floor watching X-Files while she slept on my bed, she sat up bolt upright and started mumbling some strange crap that had no meaning, and i nearly shat my pants


The current missus has restless legs syndrome which means she tends to "tread water" in her sleep

PITA!

David Lock

From my albeit brief research it seems to be linked to poor sleep patterns and stress. Booze doesn't help.

I've suggested that she contacts the Fox Lane Clinic in London which is part of St Thomas's and specialises in this field.

dl

Hysteria1983

Yes David, they tend to go hand in hand.
The reason (partly) for my brother sleep walking is from my brothers 'episodes'. I forget what the name is, but sometimes he gets a feeling that he might have a fit. That has resulted in him sometimes being scared to go to sleep or having restless nights.

So you can deduce from that it is natural for 'healthy' people to suffer with it, aside from people like my brother.l