What are the symptoms of sleepwalking in children?

Many parents will find that sleepwalking occurs mostly in many children. Many children keep their eyes open and their gazes dull while they sleep, as if they can't see anything. Sleepwalkers may even walk out of the house and stay outside for a few hours in a deep sleep, so special attention must be paid to them in normal times.

Sleepwalking child

Studies have shown that brain activity includes two processes: "excitation" and "inhibition". Normally when people are sleeping, the cells in the cerebral cortex are in an inhibited state. If at this time one or several groups of nerve cells that control movement are still in an excited state, sleepwalking will occur.

According to statistics, the number of sleepwalkers accounts for about 16% of the total population, and 10-15% of children have sleepwalked at least once, especially lively and imaginative children, most of whom have experienced it several times. Most children outgrow sleepwalking, but about 2% of children continue to sleepwalk into adulthood. It is related to psychological problems or mood swings, and has nothing to do with dreaming, because sleepwalking does not occur when people are dreaming.

When a child is sleepwalking, his eyes remain open, but they are dull and seem as if he can't see anything. Sleepwalkers can be out of their homes for periods of time ranging from a few minutes to an hour. Sleepwalking itself does not cause any harm to people, except that children may wander around in their sleep and sometimes hurt themselves because there is no one to protect them. Parents must find ways to prevent their children from hurting themselves while sleepwalking. This doesn't mean you should lock him up and not let him out, which could be more dangerous than letting him walk around. What we can do is to place things in places where children are unlikely to get hurt, or you can tell when the child starts sleepwalking. If it is an older child, you can discuss solutions with him.

Install an alarm If your goal is to wake your child, you can hang a bell on his door, or install a buzzer with an electronic eye that will sound an alarm when the child gets up and moves. If the child is very young, you can tie his door chain higher, but leave a gap of appropriately wide so that he cannot get out easily, but can still call for others in an emergency. In addition, a safety door can also be installed at the staircase. But never lock your child in a room.

Relaxation training is best practiced before bedtime. When the child is completely relaxed, have him imagine that he is sitting on the edge of his bed and is about to sleepwalk, but he wakes up as soon as his feet touch the floor. Or have him imagine waking up as soon as he grasps the doorknob. First explain the practice method to the child, then ask him to imagine that he is proud and happy, and praise the child for his cooperation.

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