Informative Speech On Sleepwalking

Sleep is a dynamic process as our brains are active even during sleep. For normal functioning of all the systems of our body, sleep is very important. Sleep affects our physical and mental health. Our immune system has the ability to fight disease and endure sickness all due to the impact of good sleep that affects our immune system.

If you are deprived of sleep, you will see a decrease in your body temperature, in the release of growth hormones and a decrease in the functioning of your immune system function as measured by white blood cell count (the soldiers of the body).

What is Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a complex yet interesting sleep disorder known as ‘Somnambulism’ or ‘Noctambulism’, and belongs to the parasomnia family.

Causes of

Sleepwalking:
Studies show that, in humans, the metabolic activity of the brain decreases significantly after 24 hours of sustained wakefulness. Lack of sleep makes a person drowsy and unable to concentrate on anything the next day leading to disorientation and impairment of memory and physical performance. Hallucinations and mood swings may develop if you continue to have episodes of wakefulness.
Therefore, over exertion, fatigue, lack of sleep and insomnia can trigger sleepwalking episodes. In addition, stress and anxiety, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, snoring, need to pee frequently in the night, acid reflux, nausea, shortness of breath and physical discomfort, all contribute to sleep disturbances that result in sleepwalking.
Stages of Sleep:
There are 5 stages of sleep. Stages I, II, III and IV are characterized as non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. Stage 5 is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep cycle associated with dreaming. These stages progress cyclically from stage I through to stage REM and then back with stage I.
Each sleep cycle (stages I-IV, and REM) last about 90-100 minutes and repeats throughout the night. All through the night, we tend to go through different stages of sleep in approximately 90 minute cycles. Usually we fall into deep sleep/delta sleep (non-REM sleep) soon after the onset of sleep and into REM sleep towards dawn.
The first sleep cycle each night has a relatively short REM sleeps and long periods of deep/delta sleep; but later in the night REM sleep lengthens and deep/delta sleep time decreases. The average person experiences four to five complete sleep cycles per night.
Stage I is a light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and many people experience sudden feeling of falling down the heights followed by twitching of muscles.
In stage II, the eye movement stops and the brain waves slow down.
Stage III sleep is known for surges of important hormones essential for proper growth and metabolism.
In stage IV, the brain exclusively produces delta waves.
Stages III and IV are referred to as deep or delta sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone who is in this stage of sleep. This is when some adults and children and especially pregnant women experience sleepwalking.
Due to the short time frame involved, sleepwalking does not tend to occur during naps.
During our non-REM sleep (delta sleep – stage III and IV), abnormal events like non-REM parasomnias occur during sleep. Non-REM parasomnias often run in families and it causes: confused arousals, night terrors, sleep talking, sleep walking, sleep eating and drinking.
Non-REM parasomnias often take place in the first third of the night, and maybe triggered by lack of sleep, stress, fever, etc. In such episodes, on being woken, you may remember a nightmare where you are being chased or attacked.
In the REM stage of sleep, breathing becomes more rapid and irregular, heart rate increases, blood pressure also rises and this is the stage where most of our dreams occur. If awakened during REM sleep, you can remember the dreams. You may experience 3 to 5 intervals of REM sleep each night.
There are parasomnias that occur during every phase of sleep. Those which take place during the deepest stages of sleep will often involve some type of behavior that may be harmful or even violent. Some of these disorders seem to run in families. Some seem to be brought on by certain anti-depressants and others by neurological disorders.
Factors that Trigger Sleepwalking:
Factors that seem to be associated with sleepwalking, factors that trigger sleepwalking are genetic, environmental, physiological and medical.
Genetic Factor: Sleepwalking occurs more frequently in identical twins, and is 10 times more likely to occur if you have a history of sleepwalking.
Environmental Factors: Chaotic sleep schedules, lack of sleep, fever, stress, anxiety, magnesium deficiency and intake of alcohol can trigger sleepwalking.
Intake of particular drugs like: sedatives/hypnotics (to promote sleep), neuroleptics (for treating psychosis), minor tranquilizers (to have a calming effect), stimulants (to increase activity), and anti-histamines (to treat symptoms of allergies) can cause sleepwalking.
Physiological Factors: The physiological factors that trigger sleepwalking are:
• Conditions such as pregnancy and hormonal changes are known to increase the frequency of sleepwalking;
• Associated medical conditions;
• Increased depth of Slow-wave Sleep;
• Abnormal Heart Rhythms;
• Fever;
• Anxiety and Fear
• Acid reflux;
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea;
• Restless Leg Syndrome; and/or
• Stress or panic attacks, or dissociative states (for example, multiple personality disorder).
Medical Factors: Certain types and class of medicines like anti-anxiety, sleep-inducing drugs, anti-histamines, anti-arrhythmic heart drugs and/or some stimulants are also supposed to trigger sleepwalking episodes in some individuals.

Symptoms of Sleepwalking:

Most people cannot tell when one is sleepwalking, but some of these symptoms are a good hint:

• Sleepwalkers make odd movements. May get up and seek out of a window

• They will get up and walk quietly but aimlessly around the room or house maybe talking or mumbling.

• May seem clumsy, dazed and fumble around objects.

• Eyes wide open with a glassy look to them.

• Sleepwalkers respond slowly with simple thoughts and may contain nonsense phraseology or absent responses when questioned what they are doing.

• Sleepwalking episodes may repeat behaviours over and over, and/or

• Having a temper tantrum, throwing objects.

Sleepwalking in Pregnant Women:

As many as 78% of women report more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at other times. By their third trimester of pregnancy, 97% of women report sleep

disturbance.
As a pregnant woman, you may see a thorough change in your sleep during the major trimesters of your pregnancy.

When you are pregnant, hormones affect the structure of your sleep by altering the nature of your sleep, and you become tired due to various physical ailments that accompany your pregnancy causing you to have disturbed sleep.

Hormonal changes and fatigue during pregnancy can precipitate sleepwalking. It is presumed that when the body has to endure physiological or psychological stress, sleepwalking is quite likely to ensue, possibly concurring with the body's inability to get quality sleep.

Progesterone and estrogen hormonal levels are active during pregnancy and can decrease the amount of REM sleep. Studies have shown that melatonin levels too are higher during pregnancy, and increased levels of prolactin in the body may all lead to more delta or slow-wave sleep.

Sleepwalking consists of a series of complex behaviors that are initiated in non-REM slow wave sleep at the onset of your sleep cycle and result in walking during sleep. This sleep disorder occurring during pregnancy and exacerbated by this condition has been reported by many a pregnant

women.
Pregnant women (or as such any adult or child) with sleepwalking disorder may wander aimlessly or actually perform complex actions that often make no sense. Sleepwalking may halt/cease automatically or as a sleepwalker you may return to bed, oblivious to the fact that you left it in the first place. You get up in your sleep and sit up in the bed, you may walk around and then fall into a light stage of sleep.
Sometimes you may walk to the bathroom, or start cleaning, or do something as hazardous as cooking, driving, grabbing some object or even commit homicide, you may go to another part of the house or even outside.