MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Sleepwalking and children

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Sleepwalking and children

Contents of this page:
Illustrations Alternative names	Information

Illustrations

Sleepwalking

Alternative names Return to top

Somnambulism

Information Return to top

Question:
Is sleepwalking normal for children?

Answer:
About 1 out of 10 school-aged children sleepwalk at least once. Sleepwalking is often triggered by disruption in regular sleep patterns or a fever. Sleepwalking is usually outgrown by early adolescence. Unlike in adults, childhood sleepwalking is usually not related to psychologic conditions. Rarely, it can be due to temporal lobe epilepsy.

Avoid awakening someone who is sleepwalking, as this may frighten the person. Simply steer the person back to bed and ensure that he or she is safe.

Try to maintain a bedtime routine to help minimize the problem.

Update Date: 5/21/2003

Updated by: Elizabeth Hait, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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