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

Translator: Fiona Ma Reviewer: Aubrey Cheng

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

冇意識嘅胡言亂語、剝光豬食芝士

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

隨處屙尿同埋喺窗口跳出街

These are all things people have reportedly done while sleepwalking,

呢啲都係人類夢遊嗰陣做過嘅行為

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

夢遊通常係無害，但會出現危險嘅情況

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

估計大概有 18% 嘅人 一世人至少夢遊過一次

So, what exactly is sleepwalking?

夢遊到底係咩？

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

首先，要了解我哋日常嘅活動有幾多

do not require our active attention.

係唔需要我哋有意識嘅注意力

Your prefrontal cortex is your brain's conscious,

前額葉皮層係你大腦嘅意識

deliberate, decision-making control hub.

你嘅決策控制中心

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

你會用前額葉皮層決定起身行路

but the intricate coordination of sensory inputs and muscles

但係呢種複雜嘅知覺同肌肉組合

that follows does not require any attention.

並唔需要我哋任何嘅注意力

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

佢哋其實係由一系列嘅特別神經細胞操控

along the lower part of the brain and spinal cord,

加上大腦下方同脊髓嘅幫助

sometimes called “central pattern generators.”

有時候叫做「中樞模式發生器」

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

呢啲區域主要管理同生存有關嘅基本動作

People with a REM sleep behavior disorder may enact their dreams

快速動眼睡眠行為障礙症患者 會喺呢個睡眠階段

while they’re in REM sleep,

將發夢內容做咗出嚟

usually keeping their eyes closed.

患者一般仲係瞇埋眼

However, this is a separate condition.

不過呢種係另一種症狀

Sleepwalking arises from a very different stage of sleep—

夢遊出現喺另一個睡眠階段

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

就係非快速動眼睡眠嘅第四期： 「慢波睡眠」

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

喺呢嗰階段，大腦皮層包括前額葉皮層

is essentially turned off.

係關閉嘅

When someone is roused from this stage,

如果有人喺呢個階段被叫醒

they’ll usually appear groggy before either dozing off again

一般都會迷迷糊糊，再瞌下

or becoming fully conscious.

直到佢哋完全清醒

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

喺嗰一刻，佢哋處於一個

straddling sleep and wakefulness.

喺清醒同睡眠之間嘅狀態

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

長時間處於呢嗰狀態就係夢遊

When sleepwalking, the prefrontal cortex remains inactive,

夢遊嗰陣前額葉皮層係關閉嘅

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

所以患者唔識控制自己嘅行為

But other parts of their brain are active.

但係腦部其他區域係活躍嘅

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

即係就算前額葉關閉

without involving the prefrontal cortex.

人體可以做到好多嘢

Sleepwalkers avoid obstacles, walk, and speak—

夢遊症患者識避開障礙物、行路同講嘢

though it's often nonsense.

雖然講嘅嘢通常九唔搭八

Most sleepwalkers can do basic things,

大多數嘅夢遊症患者做到基本嘅嘢

operating in a peaceful, unemotional, dreamless state.

喺平靜、冇情緒、冇發夢嘅時期

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

極少有患者會做啲好複雜嘅嘢， 好似煮飯同揸車

They're occasionally guided by physical urges,

有時會由身體自然嘅需求引發某啲行為

like eating or pursuing sexual activities.

好似係食嘢同埋性行為

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

有時會啟動腦海裏嘅「戰鬥或逃走」反應

during which the person might suddenly perceive an imminent danger,

喺患者覺得自己身處危險嗰陣

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

仲會大叫、大喊或者彈起身逃走

These episodes, called “sleep terrors,”

呢啲經歷叫做 「夜驚」

are more common in young children and usually result naturally.

普遍會發生喺小朋友身上

Indeed, sleepwalking is generally more common in children,

其實夢遊都係

perhaps because the brain areas that control the transition

因為腦部控制

between sleep and wakefulness are still developing.

瞓覺同清醒嘅區域仲發育緊

But the exact mechanisms that cause sleepwalking remain unclear.

但係引起夢遊症嘅具體原因依然未明

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

有家族遺傳嘅案例，亦有好多未知嘅原因

Anything that could lead to partial awakening

任何會令到患者半夢半醒嘅嘢

is thought to increase the likelihood.

都會增加夢遊嘅機率

This includes factors that promote deeper slow-wave sleep—

當中包括促進「慢波睡眠」嘅因素：

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

例如鎮靜劑、溫暖嘅睡房、唔夠瞓或

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

擾亂睡眠嘅嘢，如壓力同其他睡眠障礙

such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

如睡眠窒息症同不寧腿症候群

Doctors will usually evaluate these factors and promote habits

醫生通常會評估呢啲因素同推廣

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

有助健康睡眠嘅習慣，如運動、壓力管理

and a consistent and sufficient sleep schedule.

同埋一個既一致又令人瞓得飽嘅時間表

They’ll also often recommend safety measures,

醫生通常都會建議做啲安全措施

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

收埋危險物品、安裝門鐘、同鎖緊門窗

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

如果都冇效，醫生會考慮使用藥物

But many of the available treatments for sleepwalking

但係好多治療夢遊症嘅方法

haven’t yet been rigorously studied,

都仲未有人詳細研究過

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

所以實行方式同效力並唔係十分明確

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

噉當撞見夢遊人士嗰陣點做至好？

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

有說叫醒夢遊緊嘅人會造成嚴重傷害

Fortunately, this is not true.

好彩呢嗰唔係真嘅

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

但夾硬叫醒會令佢困擾同增加壓力

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

最好係溫柔噉帶佢哋返到床上瞓覺

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

唔得嘅話，就喺安全前提下等佢地自己醒