Is there a link between sleepwalking and the sleep disorder insomnia?

Sleepwalking, also called somnambulism, affects approximately 4% of the U.S. population on a regular basis – although many more people may not be aware they do it. (Sleepwalking is classified as a parasomnia, or abnormal behavior while you’re asleep.) Sleepwalking can happen when you are briefly aroused from non-rapid eye movement sleep, which is a deeply restful stage that helps restore body tissue and repair important body functions.

“The non-rapid eye movement stage is approximately 80% of sleep in adults,” said Kenneth Lee, MD, an assistant professor of neurology and sleep medicine and clinical medical director at the UChicago Medicine Sleep Center. “Generally speaking, sleepwalking occurs when you are no longer fully asleep, but also not fully awake – you’re in a limbo between the two states. In addition, things that increase the number of times your brain wakes up puts you at risk for episodes of sleepwalking, if you happen to be prone to them, including sleep apnea and leg movements.”

If you sleepwalk, it usually happens during the first third of the night, and you won’t be able to think, plan, or function properly. You won’t know where you are. Even though you’re moving around in a dreamlike state, you won’t be able to remember any dreams you actually have while sleepwalking. Many doctors believe that a lack of sleep is a major cause of sleepwalking. If you have insomnia, it’s hard for your brain and body to pass between sleep stages; when you do get to sleep, you may not settle into deep enough sleep, and your brain can get “tricked” into thinking your body should be active.

Children are more likely to sleepwalk, because as you get older, you have less non-rapid eye movement sleep. But sleepwalking can sometimes continue into adulthood, said  Reza Radmand, DMD, a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and fellow of the American Academy of Oral Medicine. “Adult onset sleepwalking is rare, and is usually associated with certain medications such benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Psychological trauma could also be a contributing factor to episodes of sleepwalking,” said Radmand, who is also a lecturer and research collaborator in sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School. Sleepwalking can run in families, especially if one of both of your parents have done it.