Sleepwalking

Type: Transitory aura symptom — typically develops gradually over 5–20 minutes and resolves within 60 minutes.

What is it?

Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is an arousal disorder where you get out of bed and perform motor activities—walking, moving about—while appearing to be asleep. You are usually unaware of your actions and have no memory of the episode upon waking.

What it feels like

During a sleepwalking episode, you move about your home without conscious awareness. You may walk to different rooms, perform routine activities, or gesture and speak. Upon waking, you have no recollection of what occurred. Some people experience these episodes multiple times per week, while others have them rarely.

How patients describe it

There is a documented association between childhood migraine and sleepwalking. Research shows that sleepwalking occurs in 28% of migrainous children, compared to only 6% of epileptic children and 5% of neurologically healthy children. This significant difference suggests that migraine and somnambulism may share an underlying neurochemical mechanism.

Related symptoms

• Body image disturbances
• Depersonalization
• Reduced consciousness during aura
• Motor symptoms

Clinical note

If you experience recurrent sleepwalking, mention it to your healthcare provider as it may serve as a clinical marker for a migrainous background, especially in children. While sleepwalking itself poses minimal health risk, falls and minor injuries are possible. Consider environmental safety measures like securing stairs or bedroom doors.

If this is the first time you experience these symptoms, or they feel different from previous episodes, seek medical evaluation to rule out other causes.