It is common that people suffering from somnambulism cannot be woked during night attacks. We checked whether this is really so.

Many heard the stories that, if you wake the lunatic in the midst of night wandering, this not only shocks it, but will also lead to the emergence of mental deviations or even to a heart attack. In the media you can find many articles confirming this point of view, for example: "Scientists told why it is impossible to wake the lunatics during their night walks." or “A sonologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences Roman Buzunov told Moscow 24 that it is impossible to wake a person during an attack of lunaticism”. Moreover, even among the media there is no unanimity: BBC, RIA "News", "Theories and practice" It is said that sometimes it is necessary to intervene in the nightly walking of the moon, so that they do not harm themselves and others.

Somnambulism (from lat. Somnus - “dream” and ambolus - “walk”) - this is disorder sleep related to the paracania family. It manifests itself in the form of wandering in a dream or performing familiar actions, followed by amnesia. According to the international classification of diseases, somnambulism refers to mental disorders (encoded by class F).

To understand how awakening will be influenced by the moon, you need to understand the structure of the state itself. As you know, exists Several phases of sleep (they are clearly visible on the hypnogram).

*Screenshot.* *Source* *(N3, N2, N1 and R - various phases of sleep, and W - wakefulness)*

Attacks of lunaticism occur only in the phase of deep sleep (R on the graph above). During this state, the brain is active enough for a person to move, but not enough to wake up. In order for the awakening to be successful, you need to complete the cycle. In the case of a sharp interruption of deep sleep, a person after awakening experiences unpleasant sensations. This condition is familiar to almost everyone: remember, when after an unsuccessful rise, you could not get out of bed for a long time? All because the cycle was not completed. In the scientific environment, this phenomenon called inertia of sleep. It happens due to the fact that the brain did not have time to rebuild and is still not active enough for a state of wakefulness.

By words Somnologists, in the phase of deep sleep, the brain is engaged in the restoration of the body, all its activity is aimed at regeneration of the body, and not at the analysis of the external environment. The proof of this is the results of the electricity of sleep. On the lowest line, large and slow waves are visible in the figure-delta waves characteristic of deep sleep.

As we have already said, the attacks of lunaticism occur precisely at this stage. Having woken up the lunatic during his night walk, we will interrupt the cycle and put it into a state of inertia of sleep. Such a sharp awakening may not easy Scare man, but also Disorient it or even cause a panic attack. However, not a single case of a heart attack caused by a violent awakening of the lunatic, Not documented. But the news where the sleepwaters not wakes up on time by accident They are thrown away From the windows, climb to the boom of the lifting crane or even unconsciously Kill There are enough of your loved ones. That is why somnologists recommend interfering in the nightly walking of the lunatics and prevent possible disasters. Main advice Experts - to persuade the walking in a dream to go to bed. Usually the lunaticics are very malleable, and this may work. However, if you can’t lay the night traveler, you still have to accurately wake him up so that he unconsciously does not harm himself and others.

In addition to messages about heart attacks, the suddenly awakened lunatics, which, as we found out, are not recorded by science, you can meet on the Internet opinion: during sleep shower Leaves The body of a person, and, if you force him to wake up during this period, he will die. In the "Dictionary of Russian Divine of Karelia and Conscious Regions" It is saidthat the expression “soul” means fall asleep (for example: “I washed it, laid it, immediately the soul is over”). Previously, people considered a dream as a temporary death, and dreams as paintings that the soul sees in its wanderings. However, in the XXI century proventhat there is no “flying away of the soul”, of course,, but similar sensations Received Scientific substantiation and name "embarrassment".

Thus, based on scientific research, we can conclude that people who suffer from somnambulism is permissible, and this will not cause them heart attacks and the appearance of mental illness. However, according to somnologists, it is worth doing this only if it is impossible to convince them to return to bed, since the interruption of the phase of a deep sleep can scare and disorient them.