CHENNAI: A 26-year-old man who had been suffering from sleepwalking fell from the terrace of his house on Tuesday night and died at a hospital on Wednesday. He had suffered severe head injuries.

Sampath, of Jayammal Street in Aminjikarai, was sleeping on the first floor terrace of his house when he got up in the middle of the night and began walking in sleep. After he reached the end of the terrace, he attempted to walk further, but hit the parapet wall and fell.

Hearing his cries, family members and neighbours rushed to the spot and took him to a private hospital. After his health condition deteriorated, he was referred to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital. However, Sampath died without regaining memory on Wednesday afternoon.

Sampath worked as a plumber and a coolie labourer. After his family members discovered that he was suffering from the disorder, they treated him at a hospital. On most days, he took sleeping pills and ensured that he didn’t sleep outside the house. Following the long treatment, Sampath’s family presumed that he had recovered and let him sleep on the terrace, a family member said.

Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder. Dr Saha Devan said, “Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, talking, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, making violent gestures, grabbing at hallucinated objects, or even homicide.” It is more common in children.

Several experts say that sleepwalking is linked to sleep deprivation, stress, nighttime seizures, psychiatric disorders like panic attack, multiple personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Experts say that sleepwalking is linked to sleep deprivation, stress, nighttime seizures, psychiatric disorders like panic attack, multiple personality disorder or PTSD.

