Symptoms:

When people sleepwalk, they may sit up and look as though they are awake when they are actually asleep. They may get up and walk around, or do complex activities such as moving furniture, going to the bathroom, and dressing or undressing. Some people even drive a car while they are asleep.

The episode can be very brief (a few seconds or minutes) or it can last for 30 minutes or longer, but most episodes last for less than 10 minutes. If they are not disturbed, sleepwalkers will go back to sleep. However, they may fall asleep in a different or even unusual place.

Symptoms of sleepwalking include:

• Acting confused or disoriented when they wake up
• Having blank look on face
• Opening eyes during sleep
• Not remembering the sleep walking episode when they wake up
• Performing detailed activity of any type during sleep
• Rarely, showing aggressive behavior when they are woken up by someone else
• Sitting up and appearing awake during sleep
• Taking in sleep and saying things that do not make sense
• Walking during sleep
• Taking in sleep and saying things that do not make sense

Signs and tests:

Usually, people do not need further examinations and testing. If the sleepwalking occurs often, the doctor may do an exam or tests to rule out other disorders (such as partial complex seizures).

If you have a history of emotional problems, you also may need to have a psychological evaluation to look for causes such as excessive anxiety or stress.