Why do I sleepwalk when i'm stressed?

Question

Why do I sleepwalk when i'm stressed?

Answer 1

That was the question that I set out to answer after my roommates  told me that I sleep walk and talk. After doing some research, I found out that sleepwalking is semi-common in children because 15% of children tend to do it. It is fairly uncommon to find sleepwalking a problem in adults however, because on;y 1% of adults are known to sleepwalk. So now that you know how many people sleepwalk, how about I try to answer why people do it. The causes of sleepwalking tend to be stress or anxiety, lack of sleep, eating before sleep, or it could be psychological problems. Ok, do not be scared if you sleepwalk, that does not necessarily mean you are crazy. I have found that anxiety seems to be the number one cause of sleepwalking and if you think about it, it makes sense because children are the most likely to sleepwalk and they are the most likely to experience anxiety at night because of night terrors and childhood fears. Adults experiencing stress in their life due to work, school, family, or friends can experience sleepwalking. People suffering from Psychological disorders like Schizophrenia can experience sleep disorders also due to their feelings of anxiety from heightened suspicions and paranoia.

Another interesting fact is that sleepwalking tends to be hereditary, so if no one in your family sleepwalks, you can feel pretty confident that you will not either. As it turns out, my mother and her father both have been known to sleepwalk and sleeptalk. How about we talk about what happens that makes you sleepwalk. Sleepwalking occurs during either stage 3 or 4 of the sleep cycle, which usually is about 90 mintues after falling asleep. Because of stress or other problems, the sleep cycle gets disturbed causing a delay in the progression of the sleep stages. Because of the delay, your body may become half awake and half asleep. During this time, people can physically do tasks that are repetitive (they would be able to do them without thinking) like getting dressed, making the bed, opening drawers, etc, without being aware mentally of their actions. It can be a scary topic because there are some incidents where people have committed violence while supposedly sleepwalking and I feel it is imperative to find a way to understand how and why this is happening or if it is just a new tactic by lawyers to help their clients get off scott free.  

Answer 2

I don't know if this is definitely right although the facts that my answer is based on are. When we sleep we go through different stages. Most of these stages are designed to help you re-cooperate but there is one stage, REM sleep, that is believed to have something to do with cognitive development. It is the stage of sleep that you're dreams are strongest. Babies, and children have more REM sleep because they are learning more and indulging in massive amounts of cognitive development while in old age, REM sleep drops significantly at the same time as the old person begins to become less menatlly sharp or cognitively active.

If you are stressed then you are taking part in more cognitive activity. This could be sending you're REM sleep into overdrive where you get more of it than usual and it causes you to sleep walk.

Answer 3

because your brain is so active in trying to sort out the problem that it wont take a break.

Answer 4

I reckon its to relief the pressure i am stressed now but i have never slept walked becareful, you might walk outside on a cold night and will be suprised how you got there i suggest you give your doctor a visit. he/she will give you some tablets to ease your stress.