What behavior does sleepwalking fall under in sleep disorders?

Sleepwalking is classified under parasomnia, which refers to abnormal behaviors, movements, or experiences that occur during sleep. Parasomnias include a range of sleep-related events such as sleepwalking, night terrors, and sleep talking. These behaviors typically occur during specific stages of sleep, particularly non-REM sleep, and can manifest while the individual is still partially asleep, which characterizes them as parasomnias.

Understanding sleepwalking as a parasomnia is crucial because it highlights its nature as an involuntary behavior, distinct from conditions like insomnia, which is characterized by difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep, or hypersomnia, which involves excessive sleepiness. Additionally, restless leg syndrome is a condition marked by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, typically associated with discomfort, and is also unrelated to the categorization of behaviors that occur during sleep. This distinction emphasizes the unique characteristics of sleepwalking within the broader spectrum of sleep disorders.