Last updated: October 2026
Sleepwalking is when you get up and move about while asleep, usually early in the night. It’s common in children, who mostly grow out of it by their teens. Lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, fever and some medicines can trigger it. Gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed, make the home safe and see a GP if you’re worried.
Below: what sleepwalking looks like, what causes it, how it differs in children and adults, whether to wake a sleepwalker, how to stop it, safety tips and when to get help.
What is sleepwalking?
Sleepwalking happens when you partly wake from deep sleep: your body can move, but your brain isn’t fully awake. Sleep doctors group it with night terrors and confused waking as “disorders of arousal”, a type of parasomnia that comes from non-REM (deep) sleep.
According to the NHS, someone who is sleepwalking will:
- appear to wake up, sit up or get out of bed
- usually have their eyes open, but with a blank look on their face
- not respond normally to what’s around them
Most episodes are routine things like walking around the house or getting dressed. Less often people eat, leave the house or do other complex things. An episode usually happens in the first part of the night, lasts a few minutes and isn’t remembered afterwards.
Sleepwalking vs night terrors, nightmares and sleep paralysis
These often get mixed up. Sleepwalking and night terrors both come from deep sleep and overlap: people may talk and move about during a night terror, and night terrors are more common in families where people sleepwalk.
| When in the night | What happens | Remembered? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepwalking | Early, from deep sleep | Gets up and moves about, eyes open, blank look | No |
| Night terrors | Early, from deep sleep | Screams, shouts or thrashes, may jump out of bed, lasts up to 15 minutes | Rarely |
| Nightmares | Later in the night | A frightening dream that wakes you | Yes, often vividly |
| Sleep paralysis | Falling asleep or waking up | Awake but briefly unable to move or speak | Yes |
Read more in our guides to nightmares, nightmares vs night terrors and sleep paralysis. The sudden jolt some people feel as they drop off is something different again: see hypnic jerks.
What causes sleepwalking?
Nobody knows exactly why some people sleepwalk, but it runs in families and the NHS links it to:
- Not getting enough sleep. See sleep deprivation.
- Stress. See stress symptoms.
- Drinking alcohol.
- Being unwell with a high temperature.
- Some medicines, such as sleeping pills.
- Other sleep conditions, such as sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome.
It’s also more common if close family members sleepwalk. Researchers describe it as some people being naturally prone to it, with triggers such as tiredness, illness or a late drink tipping them into an episode.
Sleepwalking in children and adults
How common is it? A 2016 review pooling 51 studies and over 100,000 people estimated that about 6.9% of people sleepwalk at some point in their lives. In the previous 12 months, about 5% of children had sleepwalked compared with about 1.5% of adults. The authors note the studies vary in quality, so treat these as rough figures.
Children. Sleepwalking is more common in childhood, and the NHS says most children grow out of it without treatment by the time they’re teenagers. A regular bedtime helps, and if your child is unwell with a fever, expect a more unsettled night. Don’t let a child who sleepwalks sleep on the top bunk.
Adults. Sleepwalking isn’t only a childhood thing. A 2022 review of disorders of arousal in adults found that adults affected often also have daytime sleepiness and a lower quality of life, as well as a risk of injury to themselves or others. If it has started for the first time as an adult, it’s worth seeing a GP to look for a trigger such as a new medicine, heavy drinking or sleep apnoea.
Should you wake a sleepwalker?
You may have heard you should never wake a sleepwalker. The NHS doesn’t say that, but it does advise a gentle approach:
- Gently guide them back to bed with a calm voice and a light touch on the arm.
- If you need to wake them, do it gently. Someone woken suddenly will be confused and may be scared, angry or upset.
- Don’t shout, shake or grab them, and don’t try to hold them still unless they’re about to hurt themselves or someone else.
They won’t remember it in the morning, so keep any chat about it light rather than worrying them.
How to stop sleepwalking
There’s no quick cure, but most people sleepwalk less when they deal with the triggers:
- Get enough sleep. Go to bed and get up at the same times each day, avoid daytime naps and wind down before bed. Our sleep hygiene guide and how to fall asleep fast have practical tips.
- Manage stress. See how to relieve stress and anxiety at night.
- Skip caffeine and alcohol in the evening. If you’re cutting back, try alcohol-free nightcaps or our guide to cutting down on alcohol.
- Keep a sleep diary. Note bedtimes, how well you slept, caffeine, alcohol, stress and any episodes. Patterns often jump out after a couple of weeks.
- Ask about scheduled waking. If episodes happen at the same time each night, gently waking the person about 15 minutes beforehand for 2 weeks can break the pattern. The NHS suggests this for night terrors, and a 2023 systematic review found some evidence for it in sleepwalking too. Talk it through with your GP first, especially for a child.
A calm, caffeine-free evening routine helps sleep in general. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a warm bedtime drink for adults, and magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It isn’t a treatment for sleepwalking, and it isn’t suitable for children.
Is sleepwalking dangerous? Safety tips
Sleepwalking itself isn’t harmful, but falls, trips and wandering outside are. The NHS safety checklist:
- Keep doors and windows closed and locked, and keep keys out of easy reach.
- Use stair gates for children.
- Keep floors clear of anything someone could trip over.
- Lock away sharp objects such as knives and tools.
- Fit door alarms if there’s a risk of someone leaving the house.
- Don’t let a child who sleepwalks sleep on the top bunk.
Simple extras some families add: a nightlight in the hallway, a bell on the bedroom door, and a ground-floor bedroom where that’s possible.
When to see a GP
Sleepwalking usually doesn’t need treatment. See a GP if you or your child sleepwalk and:
- it’s disrupting sleep, or happening often
- you’re worried about accidents or injuries, to them or to anyone else
- there are other symptoms, such as feeling very tired during the day (see waking up tired) or breathing that stops and starts during sleep
- it’s new in adulthood, so a GP can check for triggers such as medicines or sleep apnoea
If a medicine might be the trigger, don’t stop taking it without speaking to your GP. A GP may refer you to a sleep clinic for tests, particularly if sleep apnoea is suspected or there’s a risk of injury. Treatment there may include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or hypnotherapy, and medicines are only used if other approaches haven’t worked.
FAQs
Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker?
No, but waking them suddenly can leave them confused, scared or upset. The NHS advises gently guiding them back to bed, and waking them gently if you need to.
Do sleepwalkers have their eyes open?
Usually, yes. Their eyes are open but their face may look blank, and they can’t respond normally to what’s around them.
Why have I started sleepwalking as an adult?
Common triggers are lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, some medicines such as sleeping pills, and sleep conditions like sleep apnoea. If it’s new for you as an adult, see a GP.
How common is sleepwalking?
A 2016 review estimated that about 6.9% of people sleepwalk at some point in life, with about 5% of children and 1.5% of adults sleepwalking in a given year.
Can stress cause sleepwalking?
Stress is one of the triggers the NHS lists, along with lack of sleep, alcohol, fever and some medicines. Managing stress and keeping regular sleep times can help.
Do children grow out of sleepwalking?
Most do. The NHS says most children grow out of it without treatment by the time they’re teenagers.
Sources
- NHS. Sleepwalking.
- NHS. Night terrors and nightmares.
- Stallman HM, Kohler M. Prevalence of sleepwalking: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 2016.
- Idir Y, Oudiette D, Arnulf I. Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sexsomnia and other disorders of arousal: the old and the new. J Sleep Res, 2022.
- Mundt JM et al. Behavioral and psychological treatments for NREM parasomnias: a systematic review. Sleep Med, 2023.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex, which is for adults only and is not a treatment for sleepwalking.
