Nightmares are vivid, frightening dreams that affect children and adults. The dreams are followed by sudden awakening. Nightmares occur during REM sleep and are more common during periods of stress, fever, or excessive fatigue or after alcohol consumption. No specific treatment is available. Sleepwalkers may mumble repetitiously and can hurt themselves by walking into obstacles.
Most sleepwalkers have no memory of sleepwalking.
No specific treatment is available for this sleep disorder, but the sleepwalker can be gently led back to bed. Leaving a light on in the bedroom or adjacent hall sometimes reduces the tendency to sleepwalk. Forcibly awakening the sleepwalker may provoke an angry reaction and is not advised. Obstacles or breakable objects in the sleepwalker's potential path should be removed, and low windows should be kept closed and locked.