It is an excessively deep or prolonged major sleep period and may be associated with difficulty in awakening. It is believed to be caused by the central nervous system. It typically appears before age 25 and comes on gradually. Sleepwalking affects about 18 percent of the population. It is more common in children than in adolescents and adults.
Boys are more likely to sleepwalk than girls.
Sleepwalking can have a genetic tendency. Sleepwalkers may feel embarrassment, shame, guilt, anxiety and confusion when they are told about their sleepwalking behavior. The symptoms can range from mild to severe. The symptoms of hypersomnia include long sleep periods, excessive sleepiness or excessively deep sleep and gradual onset. Sleepwalking or somnambulism means not only that a person walks during sleep but also that person may be difficult to awaken during an episode and may have amnesia following an episode.