QuickCheck: Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker?

SOME folk believe that waking up someone who is sleepwalking could give them a heart attack or even brain damage.

Is this true?

Verdict:

FALSE

It is not dangerous to wake a sleepwalker however it's not advisable to do this forcefully as this could lead to the sleepwalker being disorientated or even to respond violently.

It's best to gently wake them and guide them back to bed to prevent them from moving straight back into another episode.

Sleepwalking in itself is not dangerous, however the sleepwalker might unknowingly put themselves at risk while asleep.

There have been cases of sleepwalkers trying to cook or even drive a car while still asleep.

The exact cause of sleepwalking is unknown, but it seems to run in families.

You're more likely to sleepwalk if other members of your close family have or had sleepwalking behaviours or suffered from sleep paralysis.

Studies have shown that children are more likely than adults to sleepwalk, as for overall prevalence rates it varies though one meta-analysis estimated that up to 7% of people sleepwalk.

References:

1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleepwalking/

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23415568/

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5104520/