What causes sleep walking?

[Velve921]

What causes sleep walking at night? I would like to assume it is in relation to stress hormones being high?

Let me know any and all thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[tara]

I would guess that too, but don't know the mechanisms.
In retrospect, the person I knew who used to sleep walk tended to undereat and was more susceptible when stressed.
Maybe similar conditions to nightmares?

 

[Sheila]

I was always taught it was the nervous system not shutting down properly which sounds rather wafty when I write it but then I don't think the current ideas about para- and sympathetic nervous system segmentation are bullet proof either and Peat has written on this, although I'm not sure I understood that all either! In the children I have seen with this, mag, B6 especially (though not high dose) and fuel before bed has sorted it out. They are likely under-eaters too if I think back, with a tendency to waking anxiety which is more pronounced at night when stress hormones are higher. If we see things as often a continuum, the restless sleepers might be a less pronounced outworking of the same thing. IIRC, sleepwalking is more common in younger children, in boys and also amongst bed-wetters and sleep apnoeics. That would suggest metabolism issues are at the base of this, to us at least!
Sheila

 

[Velve921]

Great thoughts Tara and Sheila!

So let me put this more into context...there is someone I have been suggested to consult who has this issue.

The man is a farmer, all day on the trackter, very little food. And apparently he comes home after long days, very little time to internally unwind.

I have not spoke to the individual as of yet so I do not know the whole history. Just want to start gathering ideas. If I were to know nothing about the guy and had to start with some general before bed ideas...this is where I have seen success with people so far:

Before Bed - epsom/baking soda bath. 30 minutes in warm water with 4lbs/1cup.

Shake - 1 cup of whole milk, 1 cup of vanilla haganndaas ice cream, 2 tbsp of gelatin, dash of salt, and mix in a little fruit.

Red Light - 30 minutes of red light while in bath.

My guess is there will be symptoms of hypothyroidism, however, I have heard that he is not found of doctors (understandably), so as much as possible I most will be looking to start with foods and remedies before pointing him that direction to get checked for thyroid hormone.

Once I get more details I will be able to anonymously share symptoms. I welcome any and all thoughts!

Thanks.

 

[tara]

If you can get him to measure waking temperatures and some otehr temps through day for a week, and resting pulse a few times, that might do in the absence of thyroid lab tests.
Possibly get an idea of overall calorie and protein intake? If he is very physically active as a farmer, he needs a lot of food.
See if you can get him to carry sustaining food for during the day?

 

[SQu]

My daughter sleepwalks too and has other signs of low thyroid. Difficult periods, ADD, being the main ones. Those are managed quite well with aspirin and caffeine in particular. Still sleepwalks. Wakes up outdoors.Is going to try locking the door and putting the key somewhere inaccessible. We'll try the mag and b6 too. She was also a bed wetter.

 

[tara]

Many years ago I had to stop someone sleepwalking out of an airport hotel room with very little on. :) !

 

[Velve921]

Great thoughts.

yes all those aspects of the assessment sound on par Tara!

How old is your daughter? Do any of my suggestions for pre bed time sedation been tried with your daughter? I've used all 3 of those steps with my athletes for post game adrenaline. If our game is done at 10:00pm, typically my players cannot go to sleep until 3-4 and they wake up multiple times a night to urinate. With epsom salt/baking soda baths, ice cream, milk, bone broth, salt, Orange juice, cheese combinations along with red light they all fall asleep by 1 and sleep straight through. I recommend they treat their feeding like thanksgiving...keep eating the above foods until they can no longer move. There has been no negative feed back as of yet.

 

[gummybear]

I started sleep walking some when I began taking a supplement of magnesium, zinc and b6

 

[SQu]

To be honest Ewlevy I struggle to get vitamins into my kids. She's 17 and in final year of school so studies quite late. I do get the family to have chicken soup with lots of gelatin broth in it, and she likes salt. I've been pondering the mag and b6 but unless it's in a form she likes which I've been able to find for the aspirin and the caffeine (well red bull makes it easy! and she likes coffee ...) and can incorporate conveniently into her life, it's not really going to happen. I can buy a nice quality ice cream and she would probably go for that, so there's an idea. Also she'll probably be away from home studying next year and I try to find things and ways that she can do on her own and will want to. There's a lemon flavoured cold remedy with lots of aspirin and some caffeine in it that you drink hot, that she likes, so that's become a pillar of her approach! Stuff like that ...

 

[tara]

I've been pondering the mag and b6 but unless it's in a form she likes which I've been able to find for the aspirin and the caffeine (well red bull makes it easy! and she likes coffee ...) and can incorporate conveniently into her life, it's not really going to happen.

Hi sueq, I mix my B vit powders for the week with water, and add a little to OJ morning and evening. Chnages hete taste slightly, but not unpleasant. If your daughter like juice, that might be an easy way to add some vitamins? I'm not sure if it's destroyed by heating, so I don't know if adding to coffee would work as well.

 

[SQu]

Thanks Tara that is worth pursuing as my B vits are nice ones without added unwanted stuff, and the capsules are only part full as it is, and they don't taste bad anyway. Orange season is coming (can't wait!) so I'll be making lots of OJ.

 

[Velve921]

To be honest Ewlevy I struggle to get vitamins into my kids. She's 17 and in final year of school so studies quite late. I do get the family to have chicken soup with lots of gelatin broth in it, and she likes salt. I've been pondering the mag and b6 but unless it's in a form she likes which I've been able to find for the aspirin and the caffeine (well red bull makes it easy! and she likes coffee ...) and can incorporate conveniently into her life, it's not really going to happen. I can buy a nice quality ice cream and she would probably go for that, so there's an idea. Also she'll probably be away from home studying next year and I try to find things and ways that she can do on her own and will want to. There's a lemon flavoured cold remedy with lots of aspirin and some caffeine in it that you drink hot, that she likes, so that's become a pillar of her approach! Stuff like that ...

It's interesting you say it's difficult get vitamins for kids, in my case it's completely the opposite....they.l go for any pill. (Kind of funny how it plays out) However, I still try to press upon food as much as possible for insomnia and surprisingly I'm seeing great results with my players. Would your daughter consider the baths? Thats put the nail in the coffin in most cases for insomnia. Some guys do 4lbs/1 cup of epsom salt/baking soda before bed.

 

[SQu]

In winter she might prefer to bath so I'll try that angle when it gets cooler. Thank you!