Do children need treatment for sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder characterized by a complex series of behaviors that begin in slow-wave sleep and cause walking in sleep. The incidence of this disorder is 1-5% in the general population, and it is more common in children. The age of onset is any time after children can walk, and the first episode is common between 4-8 years old. The main manifestations are: sitting up during sleep, walking on the floor for more than a few minutes, or even wildly attempting to “escape”, difficult to wake up, returning to bed or lying on the floor to sleep after the attack, often accompanied by a brief period of consciousness and disorientation when waking up, can return to normal after a few minutes, and generally can not recall after waking up, daytime life and social There is no significant impact on daytime life and social function. Etiology: This disease is related to genetic, neurodevelopmental and psychosocial factors. If one parent has the disorder, the incidence of the child is 45%, and if both parents have a history of the disorder, the incidence of the child is 60%. The disease can occur frequently over a period of time if the child has experienced severe psychological trauma. Inflammatory fevers and sleep deprivation can also increase the frequency of sleep walking episodes. Certain medications such as lithium and fenadine can aggravate the attacks. Ancillary tests: Children with frequent seizures should be noted to improve polysomnographic EEG, thyroid hormone monitoring, EEG, cranial imaging and psychological testing. Diagnosis: The diagnosis of this disease needs to be based on symptoms such as repeated episodes of getting up and walking during sleep, and discharge of organic diseases can be diagnosed. Treatment: The disease often disappears gradually as the child matures. If the number of episodes is low, treatment is generally not necessary. For frequent seizures (one seizure per week or more), sedation and other medications may be given. Precautions: Do not try to wake the child during the seizure, pay attention to guide him/her back to bed, and do not tell or blame the child the next day; if the seizure is related to psychological factors, pay attention to clear psychological effects.