"Hammer of witches", manual for the Inquisition, considered sehodnia as the devil possession

The word "sleepwalking" - lunaticus - is translated as "crazy"and "somnambulism", as it is called, means "walking in a dream". Where is the moon? Since ancient times people considered this mysterious phenomenon mystical sense, and connected with the influence of cycles and the light of the moon on the human psyche. In medieval Europe, it was believed that somnambulism mostly affects women, for this they were accused of sorcery and witchcraft. "The hammer of the witches"a guide for the Inquisition, considered sehodnia as the devil possession and ordered to burn it in the fire.

In the XVII century mores changed, began to celebrate the cases of sleepwalking and among men, but he was still considered women's "privilege". To date, remained a mystery, does the night light on human behavior, but for some reason and completely healthy people in a full moon complain of insomnia, and women do it more often than men...

Eyes wide shut

The attack sehodnia occurs when a partial revival, when the brain state of a deep sleep-polovozrastnym, that is why a person commits actions, but is not aware of them report. He wanders around the room, refers to the invisible people or even trying to catch, and all this with the dull views and a complete lack of memories in the morning. Usually attack sehodnia lasts one hour, eyes during it open, and look with narrowed eyes seems "glass". Sometimes attacks can last longer, up to two to three hours, and in the medical literature describes a case where the merchant a lunatic would Wake up some day and made in trance journey from London to Calcutta.

Somnambulism

In a healthy person immediately after falling asleep begins the slow-wave sleep, which lasts about an hour. At this time, superficial sleep becomes deeper, the muscles are in good shape, we can often change position, rolling up, and dreams are missing. Then comes the phase of fast asleep, dreaming. During the night these stages follow each other.

Scientists were able to fix the time of the attack of somnambulism. It turned out walking begins during slow deep sleep, so it is likely that the lunatics just reproduce reality the actions that they have. At this time they absolutely normal work of all the senses - hearing, sight, the ability to maintain balance, but the sense of danger is missing.

Sometimes for somnambulism accept sleep disturbance, when people are so actively involved in their dreams that can jump from the bed, something or someone to grasp, to knock, to scream, causing inconvenience to other sleeping peacefully family members. Such actions are rarely aggressive, but, unlike the lunatic, a sleeping man, you can easily Wake up, and he will remember the content of their dreams.

Caution, dangerous!

Lunatics does not necessarily make it "night walks", it can be any other actions, including dangerous: somebody talking, and someone just sits or stands with open eyes. Unconscious actions somnambul may be foolish, and unusual for a person (for example, some behave in a sexually provocative), sometimes a short answer to the question, but nothing to remember.

By itself, the habit of talking in your sleep is only indirectly related to the sleepwalking, she often inherited, and is not dangerous for health.

The sleepwalker can go to brush your teeth or to start to clean the apartment in the middle of the night, but sometimes during sehodnia manifest and unusual ability, for example, a person can suddenly speak in an unknown language. Someone during an attack can just walk across the room and back in bed, and someone is to get under the shower and isparitsya hot water to fall from the window, taking him out the door, or go outside and sit behind the wheel of a car... to go to the balcony, or even to get out on the ledge, to get out of the house, and in the same clothes in which I fell asleep...

According to statistics, about 40 percent somnambul due to uncontrolled in this painful condition actions put yourself in the dream of physical damage, and in rare cases it may even be aggression against other people who are trying to help him.

What to do?

First of all, to ensure maximum security of the premises is to remove sharp objects, move the furniture to the image corners, lock the doors and Windows, or hang on to them lattice. To avoid another attack, create bedtime calm relaxing atmosphere, you can include music, or ignite the burner with the smell of ylang-ylang, Melissa, sandalwood, chamomile or geranium, and try to go to bed at the same time and to sleep at least seven to eight hours a day.

To Wake the sleepwalker in this moment it is very difficult and, moreover, will result for him in a strong psychological trauma, so better to just gently lead to bed. This should be done slowly and quietly, so as not to scare. For children sometimes recommend a so-called method of unplanned Wake up when you want to interrupt the cycle of sleep and Wake up earlier than you can start a new attack. Popular method is to put beside the bed basin with water or put a wet rag to a lunatic came and woke up.

Child-lunatek

Baby is a lunatic behaves roughly the same as for adults: gets up in the night and sent for some "hereafter" Affairs, and later again peacefully asleep, and it is in that place where has ended another attack lunar disease.

Once the lunatics suspected in connection with the evil spirit, but today it is proved that most often go in sleep nervous people with excessive moving psyche. That is why the somnambulism is often observed in children. According to statistics, adults-epileptic just four percent, and children - 17, frequently "walk in a dream" at the age of 8-12 years, more boys than girls. Children are lunatics are more susceptible than others, they often cry, get tired quicker, may complain of headaches. In itself, sehodnia is not the only sign of sleep disorders, baby can often roll over and shake in a dream, telling him that he had nightmares.

In 50% of cases, somnambulism is inherited. The reason could also be frequent migraines, previous head injury or stroke, alcohol and psychotropic drugs, and emotionalism, frequent stresses, insomnia or high temperature. Isolated cases of sleepwalking usually not dangerous, but if they are repeated constantly, you should contact a doctor somnologist and neuropsychiatrist. You will need to make the EEG - recording of the currents of the brain, to eliminate the possibility of epilepsy. Incidentally, this condition walking in a dream usually occur at the same time of night, but not last more than a minute, with a lunatic like something chews and swallows.

As a rule, sehodnia in children is associated with fragile psyche and immature until the end of the nervous system, it is just "growing pains" and after a few years disappears on its own. As for adults, may need special treatment with antidepressant drugs or hypnosis, and epilepsy - seizure drugs.