Why is dangerous to wake a sleepwalker

According to experts in sleep studies, waking up a sleepwalker is bad because of the potential risk involved in disturbing that person in their dream state. The big problem with trying to wake somebody who sleepwalks is that you have no idea what that person is actually doing in their dream world. As a result, there is a real danger that the person could do you harm as a result of you prematurely waking them. For example, if the sleepwalker is having a terrifying dream and thinks mutant zombies are chasing them, you could find yourself on the wrong end of a carving knife as a result of trying to wake that person up!

Whilst it is thankfully very rare, it has been known for sleepwalkers to kill and maim their loved ones during their sleepwalking episodes. Upon waking, the person usually has no recollection of committing the act of violence and is often left extremely traumatised as a result. Sexual behaviour can also occur during sleepwalking episodes and this is known as somnambulistic sexual behaviour, or sexsomnia. Most of the time, a sleepwalker wanders around in an unresponsive and vegetative state.

Current Biology, 28 22 , R—R Finger, S. Stiles, S. Boller Eds. MacLehose, W. Sleepwalking, Violence and Desire in the Middle Ages. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 37 4 , — Stallman, H. PloS One, 11 11 , e—e Timimi, S. Fontaine, J. A beginner's guide to the brain and nervous system. A worldwide celebration of the brain that brings together scientists, families, schools, and communities during the third week in March. Join the Campaign.

For Educators Log in. About the Author. References Arnulf, I. Also In Sleep. Children are more likely than adults to sleepwalk due to the composition of their sleep. Overall prevalence rates of sleepwalking vary widely, but one meta-analysis estimated as many as 7 per cent of people sleepwalk. However, in certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to gently wake someone who has completed a sleepwalking episode and let them fall back to sleep again in order to prevent them from moving straight back into another sleepwalking episode.