“Badgertastics!” – Treatments For Somnambulism In Adults

by podblack on February 15, 2010

“Don’t leave the duck there. It’s totally irresponsible. Put it on the swing, it’ll have much more fun.” Sleep Talkin’ Man.

This blog-post is inspired by the fact that I just fell solidly out of bed and onto a book.

Nice hardcover edition of Phillip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ omnibus. Seriously ouch-y. I woke up with the memory that somehow I was trying to escape Noah’s ark, because I was sick of all the pro-Intelligent Design talk and rolled myself off the deck.

Somniloquy or sleep-talking is a parasomnia and while I don’t often like writing about my family history, a recent event has me reflecting again on a habit I have inherited. Whilst I’m not the same as the active and sometimes aggressive sleepwalker and sleeptalker (a somnambulist and somniloquist, involving starting arguments and conflict when asleep), I have had my own adventures whilst asleep. Research has shown that the prevalence of sleepwalking in first-degree relatives of an affected individual is at least ten times greater than that in the general population (Kales et al., 1980) and this practice has continued from my first notable experience (around about the age of eight) and into adulthood.

By the way, my lower back is killing me, but I’m going to finish this blog-post.

Over the years, my own behaviour as a sleepwalker has increased in frequency, usually in relation to times of stress or anxiety. There’s been a few anxious moments recently, such as a tragedy in the family, and I’ve found myself slowly waking up in another room in the house, going through a laundry basket. I recall I was looking for a favourite red shirt, but no idea why. Despite this, I greatly enjoy reading the accounts of Sleep Talkin’ Man:

“Hurray for me! Yup, I said it. Now the rest of you can join in.”

“Just look at yourself. Yeah, now look at me. You don’t stand a chance. It must suck to be you, I’m sure.”

Adam, the somniloquist, appears to have a fascinating ‘alter ego’ when he’s asleep, and whilst the occasional debate rages on the site as to whether the whole thing is staged or not, I’m less inclined to be skeptical of what they say. Or maybe I just plain enjoy the style in which he says things, I don’t really care!

Would people like Adam and I benefit from treatment for these conditions? ‘Treatments for somnambulism in adults: assessing the evidence’ has a look at what has been done and the results really aren’t very encouraging!

No properly controlled trials were found, but plenty of small trials involving thirty or more patients. While Benzodiazepines (like Librium or Xanax) are recommended, randomised trials for this and other medical treatments including psychological treatments are lacking (Harris & Grunstein, 2009). What about hypnosis? Of twenty-three sleepwalkers. twenty self-reported ‘much improvement’, yet some reported an increase in frequency six to five years later. Another six of eleven responded to follow up treatment with al reporting ‘spell free or much improved’ whilst the others reported little to no improvement (Harris & Grunstein, 2009).

Oh, just to mention – in discussion with students about philosophy, consciousness and Descartes, it was raised that we could use the firm conviction that you’re awake when really sleepwalking as a example. A question was posed about whether someone could write emails whilst sleepwalking. The answer is yes, as demonstrated by ‘Writing emails as part of sleepwalking after increase in Zolpidem’ (Siddiqui, Osuna, & Chokroverty, 2009).

Zolpidem is sometimes prescribed to help with insomnia and from what I’ve read, appears to have the oddest additional effects on some people – here’s two emails written whilst sleepwalking, from the study. I don’t know if ‘Sleep-Talking Man’ has ever talked about emailing people over to one of his responsible duck-swinging parties, but I’m certain I’d find a nice red shirt to wear if I attended.

Select References:

Harris M, & Grunstein RR (2009). Treatments for somnambulism in adults: assessing the evidence. Sleep medicine reviews, 13 (4), 295-7 PMID: 19046651

Siddiqui F, Osuna E, & Chokroverty S (2009). Writing emails as part of sleepwalking after increase in Zolpidem. Sleep medicine, 10 (2), 262-4 PMID: 19059805