Analysis: Disorders can range from embarrassing to dangerous

Published on Friday 20 November 2009 21:46

FOR most people, sleepwalking is a minor annoyance, affecting roughly 2 per cent of adults. But for some, the effects can range from the embarrassing to the outright dangerous.

There are several cases where flight attendants – deprived of normal sleep patterns – have found themselves naked on the roof of stop-over hotels.

Research by Travel Lodge also found that 95 per cent of those sleepwalking in their hotels were men and the chain even provides towels to night shift staff so that they can cover the modesty of nude sleepwalkers.

Although there are several specific conditions, there are two main kinds of sleepwalking. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) behaviour disorder sees sufferers typically regaining full consciousness very quickly after acting out a dream, whereas with "night terror", the "classic" sleepwalker can engage in unconscious actions such as opening the fridge, painting, walking around the house and even murder.

The problem is that within these definitions, there is a wide variation, with some patients suffering three times a night, and others affected only once a year.

Modern research into sleep conditions only really began in the 1960s. A lot of the early work into the subject has also been forgotten. For example, in the 1990s, scientists rediscovered work from 1918 that is only now being applied to treat insomniacs.

On the whole, it tends to be middle-aged men who are most likely to have REM behaviour disorder episodes. Anything that makes sleep deeper – alcohol and drugs – can also make sleepwalking worse.

Historically, courts have been quite enlightened when it comes to judging sleepwalking as a defence. In one famous 19th-century case, an Edinburgh man was acquitted for throwing his child at a wall after dreaming it was being attacked by wild animals. The court simply advised that, in future, he be banned from sleeping with anyone else in the room.

&#149 Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, has worked on the science of sleep for more than 20 years. He has been an expert witness in more than 30 court cases, including the Brian Thomas trial.