My son is 4 yeas old and has in the past 6 weeks begun sleepwalking. The first time we found it almost amusing becasue he came right up to the tv, sat down, and seemed as if he were actually watching. His eyes were wide open, but he never acknowledged my pressence or the fact that I was speaking to him. After a few minutes he got up and went right back to his bed...it was odd, but no harm done. About a month later, he fell asleep in my bed while watching Veggie Tales and I left him and went to the back bedroomto get online. When I went to bed later, he was gone. I thought he must've gone to his bed, but he wasn't there either. I never heard any noise, but he was gone!! I grabbed the phone, looked on the couch, and was ready to call 911 when i heard a noise in the kitchen. When i opend the mini doors to the kitchen, he was walking out and went right back to my bed, eyes wide open, and never said a word. The next morning, I asked him why he was in the kitchen in the dark and he said he wasn't. Now he's always talked in his sleep and sometimes sat up and spoken and then layed back down, but never this before. Is this something I should talk to his doctor about? Is it normal?
First of all, thank you to everyone who responded...your tips and advice really helped me feel active in the situation. We went to the doctor today and have a few guidelines to follow with his diet, routines, and sleep schedules. It will take some time, but we are all praying for the best possible outcome and are hopeful we can get his sleep walking under contol.
I would definatly talk to his doctor about it. Its not uncommon one of my girls will sleep walk, but you need to talk to the doctor and find out if there is anything he recomends you do. Just to be on the safe side.
He could have a sleep disorder. You should consult a sleep disorder clinic. I have a sleep disorder & it was overlooked by my family doctor. I did not get the proper diagnosis until I went to a sleep study lab.
this is called Somnambulation. It is usually when a child has some type of stress but not always. My daughter did this and at age 5 she walked clean through a plate glass door so be sure he can't get to windows or big glass doors easily. I ended up moving my couch in front of the plate glass window after she walked through it.(She was not seriously hurt, just a few scratches miraculously). I even found her outside one night sleeping on the porch,actually my neighbor found her when he was going to work one morning. I put an alarm on all doors that set off a siren if the door was opened. You can get them at Radio Shack and they are not highly priced and easy to install. I would mention it to your son's pedi. I don't think it is worth a special trip but call and talk to his nurse and they can decide what to do from there.
Good luck,
C.
I have a friend, and a little brother who used to sleepwalk. My brother's wasn't a big deal, except he liked to turn on the kitchen faucet then go sleep on the couch. If no one found him until morning, it made for some high water bills. My friend wasn't quite so harmless. On several occasions, she managed to unlock the door and walk outside. They lived near a bayou so they were terrified. They ended up putting extra latches on the doors so she couldn't get out. Luckily they both grew out of it.
It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to your doctor just so you know what to expect and how to handle it. Just in case.
As a nurse, I can say that you definitely need to talk with your doctor. Not because something maybe wrong-many children and adults for that matter sleepwalk. However, this could be affecting the rest that he gets. He may become more irritable during the day. Also, I would suggest putting him to sleep in a room where he has to walk past you to exit the room while you're awake, and having some kind of alarm that notifies you if the doors open when you're asleep. I used to find my son on the floor, under the coffee table, on the couch, and other places when I know he originally went to sleep in the bed. This eventually stopped and he sleeps sound as a log through the night. Good luck!
Roni
A friend of mines child had night terrors and was told my her pedi to take him off drinks with red dyes. This fixed his problem. She also tried leaving out different drinks and foods because he talks and plays in his sleep. My 6 yr old is highly effected by sugar and dyes too. I just thought I would offer that to think about. Those things are easy harmless things to leave out, so it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck!
