Can gentle sounds unlock the mystery of sleepwalking?

This study investigates whether playing soft sounds during deep sleep can help researchers understand and possibly influence episodes of sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and confusional arousals—conditions known as disorders of arousal. Participants with these conditions will spend two nights in a sleep lab, one with sound stimulation and one without, to compare how often and how long episodes occur. A small group of healthy volunteers will also undergo a single night of sound stimulation to see if the effects are specific to people with these disorders. The sounds are very quiet, similar to normal conversation, and are stopped immediately if any discomfort occurs.