A client walks during sleeping is known as?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Explanation

Somnambulism is the correct medical term for sleepwalking.
It is classified as a parasomnia, which is an undesirable behavior that occurs during sleep.
These episodes typically arise from non-REM (NREM) sleep, specifically during the deep stages (N3 sleep).
The individual may perform complex actions but is not fully conscious and will have little to no memory of the event.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Sleep apnea is a breathing-related sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. It does not involve walking.
Option B: Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the day.
Option D: Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. It is a disorder of initiating or maintaining sleep, not performing activities while asleep.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Terminology of Sleep Disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
The primary nursing responsibility for a patient with somnambulism is to ensure safety and prevent injury. This includes environmental modifications like clearing pathways, securing windows and doors, and removing sharp objects.
Patient and family education is crucial. Nurses should teach them about the nature of the disorder and strategies to manage it at home, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and avoiding sleep deprivation.
What if? If a patient starts sleepwalking after starting a new medication (e.g., a sedative-hypnotic), the nurse should suspect it might be a medication-induced parasomnia and report this to the prescribing physician for evaluation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key action described in the question stem: 'a client walks during sleeping'.
Next, analyze the options provided, which are all names of sleep disorders.
Recall or deduce the definition of each term. Your goal is to match the action (walking while asleep) to its medical name.
Eliminate options that describe different phenomena. Sleep apnea is about breathing, narcolepsy is about sudden sleep attacks, and insomnia is about the inability to sleep.
Select the term that specifically means 'sleepwalking', which is somnambulism.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Terminology of Sleep Disorders
Stem keywords: client, walks, sleeping
Lead-in keywords: is known as

Question ID

QeEjTBPwTa0yl-uF6R4tNj

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1586-1588

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 p. 258-260

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 3874-3876

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