Sleep walking becoming common than thought in US

A new study has revealed that the phenomenon of sleepwalking is surprisingly increasing in American households. Scientists from the Stanford University of School of Medicine did first hand research on the relevance of sleep walking in three decades.

The researchers found that about 3.6 percent of adults in US are prone to sleepwalking. The proportion is higher compared to what was initially expected. Some of the conditions like depression, anxiety and obsessive – compulsive disorder might be responsible for developing sleepwalking disorder.

Dr. B Tucker Woodson, the professor and chief of the division of sleep medicine at the Medical College of Winconsin in Milwaukee, who wasn’t involved in the study said, “It’s probably more common than we realize, which doesn’t surprise me”. Woodson added that as clinicians they often see the cases in which it is a problem, due to which if the occasional sleepwalking episode is not causing any problems, it tends not to be something people seek medical attention.

The researchers interviewed 19,000 people aged 18 and older ones from 15 states and questioned them about their sleeping habits. People who reported sleep walk were asked about the frequency, duration, family history or any dangerous behaviours during sleep.