Lack of sleep can cause sleepwalking

According to research by the University of Montreal, sleepwalkers are advised to maintain regular bedtime to avoid unwanted night walks.

Sleepwalking, which affects up to 40% of adults, can cause mental confusion or amnesia in affected people. In a recent issue of neuroscience, authors Antonio Zadra, Mathieu Pilon and Jacques Montplaisir explain how they value 40 suspicious sleepwalkers. Everyone is transferred to the sleep research center at the Sacré-Coeur hospital, a Montréal university practice hospital, between August 2003 and March 2007.

Lead researcher Antonio Zadra said: 'Our research has found that lack of sleep can cause sleepwalking in the affected people. People with sleepwalking are best advised to maintain regular bedtime hours if they want to avoid sleepwalking. '

1 night sleep, 1 night awake

Participants in the study were willing to have boundary sleeps monitored during the initial assessment. During the next visit, patients must stay up all night and still be monitored regularly.

After being awake for 25 hours, the patients slept on the next morning. They were videotaped while sleeping so that the research team assessed their behavior, changing from playing with bed sheets to trying to jump out of the bed. Subjects are evaluated on 3 ranges based on the complexity of their actions.

The results are impressive. In borderline sleep, only half of the patients exhibited about 32 behaviors. During sleep compensation, 90% of patients exhibited 92 stages of behavior.

Previously, it was thought that sleepwalkers were incapable of prolonging deep sleep or deep sleep, but the study also found that sleepwalkers were much more difficult to transition from deep sleep to 1 other sleep wake or wake up after sleep deprivation. Dr. Zadra said: 'This study also reveals that current objective methods can be used for the study and diagnosis of sleepwalking'.

Article ' Diagnosis of Mortality by Polysomnographic Method: The Post-Absence of Sleeplessness ' by authors Antonio Zadra, Mathieu Pilon, and Jacques Montplaisir published in the annals of neurology.