For some, the episodes of sleepwalking occur less than once per month and do not result in harm to the patient or others. Others experience episodes more than once per month, but not nightly, and do not result in harm to the patient or others. In its most severe form, the episodes occur almost nightly or are associated with physical injury. The sleepwalker may feel embarrassment, shame, guilt, anxiety and confusion when they are told about their sleepwalking behavior. Amnesia is another danger that usually follows a sleepwalking episode.
Sleepwalkers usually remember little to nothing.
But there are times sleepwalkers have a vague memory of an episode where they think they were being burned, buried alive, caught under a roof or trying to escape a dangerous situation. Sleepwalking primarily occurs in young children and is more prevalent in boys than girls. Sleepwalking episodes can range from sitting up in bed to walking, and can even lead to frantic attempts to escape as if threatened or fleeing. During an episode, a sleepwalker exhibits behaviors such as sitting up with glassy eyes, picking at the blankets, making body movements and walking around the house. Sleepwalkers may also urinate, defecate or avoid looking at another person who attempts to communicate with them.