The child is 10 years old and generally in good health, but they suddenly wake up in the middle of the night from

Patient's question:

The child is 10 years old and generally in good health. However, during sleep, he suddenly gets out of bed in the middle of the night, sits on the bed for a few seconds, and then goes back to sleep. In the morning, when asked about it, he has no recollection of the incident.
Since last month, he has suddenly experienced trembling in his hands and feet, along with constant movement of his head and mouth, resembling shivering. This lasted for about a minute, after which he seemed completely fine. A couple of months later, it happened again last night.

Doctor's answer:

Hello
Sleepwalking is a brain dysfunction related to sleep. Under normal circumstances, during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, the brain transmits action commands to the muscular movement system. For example, if one dreams of a fire, the brain orders the legs to run frantically. However, humans also have an inhibitory mechanism that prevents signals from reaching the muscular movement system during sleep, allowing them to sleep peacefully in bed. But if this mechanism malfunctions, a person may become active, leading to sleepwalking.
Most sleepwalking cases we observe occur during non-REM sleep stages, which are classified as non-dreaming sleep on an electroencephalogram (EEG). While the physical body of a sleepwalker is asleep, their sensory perception is partially awake. The cerebral cortex is largely in an inhibitory state, but there are isolated areas of excitation.
Of course, a small number of children may experience sleepwalking due to brain infections, injuries, or conditions like epilepsy or hysteria. In such cases, it is essential to consult a specialist doctor for differentiation.
When treating sleepwalking, both psychological therapy and medication must be employed simultaneously. Negative psychological factors should be removed, anxiety, fear, and tension should be alleviated, and the environment should be improved to encourage a balance between work and rest, as well as physical exercise. Additionally, appropriate dosages of sedative-hypnotic drugs, such as diazepam, methaqualone, or librium, should be administered based on the individual's age.
Reports indicate that taking promethazine orally before bedtime, under a doctor's guidance, can also be effective. Another proven measure is to wake the person immediately when sleepwalking begins.