Parents who have never experienced it before often find they are overwhelmed when their children start to sleepwalk. Sleepwalking is more common in youngsters than in adults and there is no real need to be concerned as it is not particularly dangerous.
Try these following top tips to help your youngster:
- Have your child relax at bedtime by listening to music or reading. This can help them sleep a little better.
- Make sure they have an established sleep schedule and ensure they stick to it
- Don't let them drink too much during the day. A full bladder can contribute to sleepwalking.
- Make sure they avoid caffeine during the day. Caffeine contributes to interrupted sleep.
- Ensure your daughter’s room is dark and that they are able to sleep in it.
However, if your daughter is waking up tired and is regularly fatigued during the day you might want to consider treating it. It is important to know that sleepwalking is more than just walking around during the night and it also includes sleep talking, being hard to rouse in the mornings, clumsy and fussing in the middle of the night.
It is also beneifcial to know that while sleepwalking can be brought about by illness, medication and stress it runs in families. So if you or your partner experienced or still experiences it, the chances of your youngster experiencing it are higher.
For kids who sleepwalk often, doctors may recommend a treatment called scheduled awakening. This is a process that interrupts the sleep cycle in order to stop sleepwalking. In rare cases, a doctor may prescribe medication to aid sleep.
It is important that you don’t try to wake your tween up while they are sleepwalking as it might scare them. Instead, gently guide her back to bed.
While it is not dangerous you should always lock your daughter’s windows, put away all keys and keep harmful objects out of reach to make sure they don’t harm themselves - think, safe rather than sorry.
