Sleep Walker

H.,
Personally, I don't know anything about sleep walking, so I quickly did a search on the internet, which you can do to look for treatments, but I also would think about her eating habits, for instance did they change recently and also does she take medicines for anything or is there anything new in her environment. It's a start, hope that helps.

M.

My daughter who is seven also sleep walks. It hasn't been as bad as yours. She gets it from my husband. My daughter has urinated on the floor in her bedroom twice thinking she was at her toilet.

I would suggest putting a dead bolt lock up high on the from door where she can not reach it and open the door.

I was a sleepwalker growing up. I really don't think my parents did anything other than barricade the front door so I could not actually leave the house. We would actually laugh about incidents because my behavior was bizarre.

I walked into our living room when I was about 8-9, right past my parents on the steps...sat on the couch and stared at the blank tv screen. I walked into my cousin's bedroom when we were at the beach and started screaming that I knew she took my stuff, after my "rant" I turned and went back to bed.

As a teenager I had some troubles at home and my sleepwalking spiked up again. I slept in the attic at my dad's house (made into a bedroom) and I would wake up in his basement - 3 flights of stairs below.

I also talk in my sleep, mostly not making any sense...I still do it.

I would maybe try to see if there is a "root" to her sleepwalking (stress, anxiety about something). Talk to the pediatrician and see if they have any advice.

Although I grew out of the sleepwalking I still talk in my sleep when I am overly stressed/anxious about something.

Hi H.,

My son also does this and started about 3 months ago. He too is 9 and boy is it scary!
However he wakes up screaming and freaking out, but like you said, is staring right threw
us. Most of the time he comes to us; however he has done some really strange things like
going in the bathroom and washing his hands but he is always crying and he will not settle
or go back to bed until we have woken him up. And in the morning he has no memory
of it. It is very puzzling but I believe when he is taken out of his schedule or has had
busy long days and loses the usual 11-12 hrs sleep he is used to, that's when they occur
more. I plan on asking his doctor about it when we have our next visit. We live in a
rancher so I just make sure the door to the basement is closed, so god forbid he doesn't
fall down the steps and as far as going outside I'd like to think, as light of a sleeper
I am I would hear him. HOPEFULLY.... I know how you feel though maybe ask the
doctor about it! GOOD LUCK!

No don't lock her into her room, she would panick if she couldn't open the door. Don't bother trying to wake ehr up, it doesn't help. Just talk calmy to her and get her back to bed. I sleep walk and have since I was a child. My best advice is bed her to bed before she gets overtired. I think that is a big trigger for me. I don 't sleep walk as much as I did when I was a child but I occasionally do. I find when I am overtired I am more likley to sleep walk. Make sure you have a good lock at the top of your door she can't reach. When Iw as a child I didn't go outside, luckliy I just went to our sofa in the living room.

Dr. Sears book, "Nighttime Parenting" has a good section in it on sleep-walking.

Hi H.,
My 13 year old still sleep walks, but not a much. It peaked when he was 9-10 years old. You cannot wake him and he always seems to have a mission in mind. I just try to go along with it - ie if he is saying "I need....I need..." I tell him I have it right here and can usually get him back to bed. I found that I can almost predict when he would sleep walk. He does it when he is overtired or very stressed over something. The first day of school each year he is guaranteed to walk. Like your daughter, he tried some less than safe things - walking in circles on his bed, heading for the top of the stairs, etc. I am a very light sleeper and would hear him get out of bed. Now that he is 13 and the hormones have hit, he walks much less. Good luck.

Close her door slightly and put a bell on it so that you are awakened when she leaves her room. We have chimes on our doors that go outside and when a door opens it chimes in our bedroom. Sometimes all you can do is work with it. Have you taken her to a sleep specialist for some advice?
Good luck with this.

Hello H.. I suggest you go to www.Google.com and type in "sleepwalking and cures". It is very interesting. Your question prompted me to look it up since my daughter is 37 and STILL sleep walks! I believe the main thing is to make sure that she cannot 'escape' out of a door or window into the neighborhood because she could be injured. It does appear, however, that all the articles recommend hypnosis, I suppose to introduce thoughts into the sub-conscious mind that would help to eliminate these instances.

Good luck, H.!

I have a 14 year old son who sounds like your daughter. He doesn't sleep walk as much but boy he used to. What we have done,is put things in front of the door going out of the house, that would deter him from leaving. Also, maybe put a chain lock up high on the door, that way if she does move something that upper lock will stop her from going out. I think in the end she will grow out of it. Have you talked to the pediatrician at all.

We just kept helping him back to bed, and talking to him about whatever it was that he was talking about and leading him back to his room. Like I said he has basically grown out of it, with one or two times of sleep walking here and there.

Hi H.,
I agree with you not locking her in her room, but you might consider sliding chain type locks on your outside doors. This would at least keep her from going outside. Sorry, I have no other knowledge of sleepwalking, but I've heard you should do what you're doing--out them back to bed--don't startle her by trying to wake her.
Denise

Hi H., Although I have never dealt with sleepwalking, I do live with two night talkers and have figured out that they talk only after a really stress-filled or exciting day. Talk to your doctor. I suggest putting contact alarms on your doors and windows...the alarm is really loud and would wake you if she opened them. You might also try using a simple babygate in her bedroom doorway. That might keep her in her room if you place it high enough so that she can't climb over it, but low enough that she can't slide under it in her sleep. Good luck and best wishes.

Hi H.! I dont know anything about this issue, but i know that back in the day parents would put a cold wet towel on the floor where the child sleeps. when she would get up and step on it she would wake up from cold and wet under her feet. I am sorry you are going thu this, but it will get better. I just saw a new article on yahoo check it out.....http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080510/sc_livescien...

My daughter's friend did this when she was a little younger than your child. She did outgrow it, but the parents put a deadbolt way up high, way out of the child's reach, on the doors to the outside. Not locks that needed keys from the inside, just a turn. Good luck!

Hi H.,

My daughter used to sleep walk when she was little, but thankfully she grew out of it. I don't know much about it really, but I have read that is very traumatic if you wake them while they are doing this. You are supposed to do basically what you are doing, just calmly lead them back to bed. As for worrying aboout her getting out, that would scare me too. Most sleep walkers can do everything they normally do while they are sleep walking. I just recently saw a program on TV where a lady would sleep walk into the kitchen and eat. I don't know if anyone has tried this with sleep walkers, but I once worked in a personal care home and we had alarms on the doors to keep the residents from escaping. We could not baricade the doors due to fire hazards. We also were not permitted to lock the doors during the day for the same reason.