What is another name for sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is medically referred to as somnambulism. This term specifically describes the condition wherein individuals perform complex behaviors while still in a state of partial arousal from deep sleep, often without any recollection of the event upon waking. Somnambulism typically occurs during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, usually in the first third of the night, when individuals may get up and walk around, perform routine activities, or even engage in conversations while still asleep.

Insomnia, on the other hand, refers to difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep and does not involve any sleepwalking behavior. Parasomnia encompasses a variety of abnormal behaviors or experiences during sleep, including sleepwalking, but it is a broader category that includes other phenomena such as night terrors and sleep talking. Sleep inertia entails the grogginess and disorientation often felt upon waking from sleep but is unrelated to sleepwalking itself.

Thus, the designation of sleepwalking as somnambulism is accurate and reflects its unique clinical characteristics and manifestations.