SLEEPWALKING

also called Somnambulism, a behavioral disorder of sleep in which a person sits up and performs various motor actions, such as standing, walking about, talking, eating, screaming, dressing, going to the bathroom, or even leaving the house. The episode usually ends with the sleepwalker returning to sleep, with no subsequent memory of the episode. Sleepwalking is most common in children, though it may also appear in adolescents and young adults. It occurs only during deep sleep, when dreams are basically absent. Sleepwalking becomes dangerous only when the possibility exists of the sleepwalker accidentally injuring himself. Sleepwalking may also occur in persons with post-traumatic stress disorder, whose nightmares terminate in shouting, struggling, or jumping out of bed. These episodes often result in awakening.