There is an Irish proverb that says a good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. But not everyone gets a good night's sleep. Blame it on sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep walking and narcolepsy (excessive sleeping), to name a few.
A new study has found that sleepwalking is more prevalent among U.S. adults than previously suspected, with the number being in excess of 8.4 million, which equates to about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults.
The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, which is the first to use a large, representative sample of the U.S. general population, involved 19,136 individuals from 15 states.
Sleep walking is also associated with certain psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, according to the researchers. But they aren't sure if it is the medical condition that is provoking sleepwalking, or it is the other way round, or perhaps if it is the treatment that is responsible.
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