Gibberish, urine, and utter chaos: What happens when you sleepwalk - Emmanuel During

Prevodilac: Jovana Babic Lektor: Milenka Okuka

Mumbling fantastical gibberish; devouring blocks of cheese in the nude;

Mrmljanje fantastičnih besmislica; jedenje sira bez odeće;

peeing in places that aren’t toilets; and jumping out of windows.

mokrenje van toaleta; i iskakanje kroz prozore.

These are all things people have reportedly done while sleepwalking,

Ovo su samo neke od stvari koje su ljudi navodno radili tokom mesečarenja,

a behavior that’s mostly benign but can be dangerous in rare cases.

pojave koja je uglavnom bezazlena, ali se povremeno može pokazati kao opasna.

It's estimated that around 18% of people sleepwalk at least once in their lives.

Procenjuje se da oko 18% ljudi mesečari makar jednom u životu.

So, what exactly is sleepwalking?

Dakle, šta je zapravo mesečarenje?

First, we have to understand just how many of our daily activities

Prva stvar koju moramo razumeti je da mnoge od naših svakodnevnih aktivnosti

do not require our active attention.

ne zahtevaju našu aktivnu pažnju.

Your prefrontal cortex is your brain's conscious,

Vaša prefrontalna kora je svest vašeg mozga,

deliberate, decision-making control hub.

kontrolni centar za donošenje voljnih odluka.

You might decide to get up and walk using your prefrontal cortex,

Pomoću nje možda odlučite da ustanete i prošetate,

but the intricate coordination of sensory inputs and muscles

ali složena koordinacija između senzornih signala i mišića

that follows does not require any attention.

koja sledi nakon te odluke ne zahteva nikakvu pažnju.

Instead, it’s mostly executed by a network of specialized nerve cells

Umesto toga, uglavnom se njome bavi specijalizivana mreža nervnih ćelija

along the lower part of the brain and spinal cord,

duž donjeg dela mozga i kičmene moždine,

sometimes called “central pattern generators.”

poznata i kao generator centralnih obrazaca.

These areas govern automatic movements and basic actions related to survival.

On upravlja automatskim pokretima i radnjama koje su bitne za preživljavanje.

People with a REM sleep behavior disorder may enact their dreams

Ljudi sa poremećajima REM faze sna mogu fizički oponašati svoje snove

while they’re in REM sleep,

tokom te faze sna,

usually keeping their eyes closed.

obično zadržavajući oči zatvorenim.

However, this is a separate condition.

Međutim, ovo je zaseban poremećaj.

Sleepwalking arises from a very different stage of sleep—

Mesečarenje potiče iz druge, po mnogo čemu drugačije faze sna -

the deepest stage of non-REM sleep, which is called “slow-wave sleep.”

najdublje faze ne-REM sna, nazvane sporotalasno spavanje.

In this state, the cortex, including the prefrontal cortex,

U ovom stanju, moždana kora, uključujući i prefrontalnu koru,

is essentially turned off.

je isključena.

When someone is roused from this stage,

Kada nekoga probudimo iz ove faze,

they’ll usually appear groggy before either dozing off again

obično će izgledati pospano pre nego što ponovo zaspi

or becoming fully conscious.

ili će se potpuno probuditi.

For that moment, though, they’re in an intermediate state

Međutim, u tom trenutku, osoba je u međufazi

straddling sleep and wakefulness.

između sna i jave.

A sleepwalking episode is, essentially, an extreme, prolonged version of this.

Mesečarenje je zapravo ekstremna i produžena verzija ovoga.

When sleepwalking, the prefrontal cortex remains inactive,

Tokom hodanja u snu, prefrontalni korteks ostaje neaktivan,

so the person doesn’t possess executive, deliberate control over their actions.

pa osoba nema izvršnu, namernu kontrolu nad svojim postupcima.

But other parts of their brain are active.

Međutim drugi delovi mozga su im aktivni.

And, as we know, the body is capable of a lot

I, kao što znamo, telo je sposobno za mnogo toga

without involving the prefrontal cortex.

bez uključivanja prefrontalnog korteksa.

Sleepwalkers avoid obstacles, walk, and speak—

Ljudi koji mesečare izbegavaju prepreke, hodaju i pričaju -

though it's often nonsense.

mada uglavnom besmislice.

Most sleepwalkers can do basic things,

Većina njih može obavljati osnovne stvari,

operating in a peaceful, unemotional, dreamless state.

funkcionišući u mirnom, neemotivnom stanju bez snova.

In rare cases, sleepwalkers perform more complex tasks like cooking and driving.

U retkim slučajevima, izvode složenije zadatke poput kuvanja i vožnje.

They're occasionally guided by physical urges,

Ponekad ih vode fizičke potrebe,

like eating or pursuing sexual activities.

poput jedenja i seksualnih aktivnosti.

And some episodes involve the brain’s fight or flight system,

Neke epizode mesečarenja uključuju moždani sistem borbe ili bega,

during which the person might suddenly perceive an imminent danger,

tokom kojih osoba može iznenada osetiti neposrednu opasnost,

and vocalize, cry, or even jolt out of bed and run away.

i pričati, plakati ili čak iskočiti iz kreveta i pobeći.

These episodes, called “sleep terrors,”

Ove epizode se zovu noćni terori,

are more common in young children and usually result naturally.

češće su kod male dece i uglavnom se same reše.

Indeed, sleepwalking is generally more common in children,

Mesečarenje je generalno češće kod dece

perhaps because the brain areas that control the transition

možda zato što su delovi mozga koji kontrolišu tranziciju

between sleep and wakefulness are still developing.

između sna i budnosti još uvek u razvoju.

But the exact mechanisms that cause sleepwalking remain unclear.

Ali tačni mehanizmi koji izazivaju mesečarenje ostaju nejasni.

Many cases appear to run in families, while others are more mysterious.

Mnogi slučajevi se čine naslednim, dok su drugi misteriozniji.

Anything that could lead to partial awakening

Bilo šta što može da dovede do delimičnog buđenja

is thought to increase the likelihood.

povećava verovatnoću javljanja.

This includes factors that promote deeper slow-wave sleep—

Ovo uključuje faktore koji podstiču dubok sporotalasni san -

like sedatives, hot sleep environments, and operating on too little sleep—

poput sedativa, pretople okoline u kojoj se spava i prethodnog manjka sna,

or things that disrupt sleep— like stress and other sleep disorders,

ili faktore koji remete san - poput stresa i drugih poremećaja sna

such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

kao što je apneja u snu i sindrom nemirnih nogu.

Doctors will usually evaluate these factors and promote habits

Lekari obično procenjuju ove faktore i predlažu navike

that aid in healthy sleep, such as exercise, stress management,

koje promovišu zdrav san, poput vežbanja, upravljanja stresom

and a consistent and sufficient sleep schedule.

i postojanja rasporeda spavanja kog se pridržavamo.

They’ll also often recommend safety measures,

Takođe, često preporučuju i sigurnosne mere kao što su

like hiding dangerous items, installing door alarms and securing windows.

skrivanje opasnih predmeta, instaliranje alarma na vratima i osiguravanje prozora.

If this doesn't help, they'll consider certain medications.

Ako ovo ne pomaže, razmotriće upotrebu određenih lekova.

But many of the available treatments for sleepwalking

Ali mnoge od dostupnih terapija za mesečarenje

haven’t yet been rigorously studied,

još uvek nisu temeljno proučene,

so how they work and how effective they are is not entirely clear.

pa nije potpuno jasno kako deluju i koliko su efikasne.

So, what should you do if you encounter a sleepwalker?

Dakle, šta treba uraditi ako se sustretnemo sa osobom koja mesečari?

A common misconception is that rousing a sleepwalker causes irreparable harm.

Česta zabluda je da im buđenje može izazvati nepopravljivu štetu.

Fortunately, this is not true.

Na sreću, ovo nije istina.

However, trying to forcefully wake them can cause confusion and distress.

Ipak, naglo buđenje može izazvati zbunjenost i uznemirenost.

The best practice seems to be to gently guide them back to bed;

Izgleda da je najbolje rešenje da ih polako odvedemo nazad u krevet

and, if they resist, to simply ensure they’re safe until the episode resolves.

i, ako se opiru, da se postaramo da budu bezbedni dok epizoda ne prođe.