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In Neubrandenburg, a young woman fell out of a window on the fifth floor of an apartment building and was seriously injured.
According to the police, the 18-year-old from the Mecklenburg Lake District was visiting friends.
She was known to be a sleepwalker and probably walked to a window that was open in her sleep.
The young woman fell about 14 meters deep and was seriously injured.
She was taken to a nearby hospital.
A witness had seen the woman and alerted the rescuers.
According to estimates by scientists, around four percent of adults sleepwalk.
In children, up to 30 percent have at least one episode of sleepwalking.
The fact that children are affected more often is because the brain has not yet matured.
Sleepwalking often disappears after puberty.
From time to time, unusual incidents occur with sleepwalkers: In November 2020, a sleepwalker in Bremerhaven locked himself out of his apartment and wanted to break his apartment door open.
In December 2018, a 44-year-old was wandering around in Überlingen in sub-zero temperatures wearing only his underpants.
In March 2018, a sleepwalker locked himself out in Pforzheim.
Walking around at night can sometimes be very dangerous.
In December 2014, an Australian woman fell to her death while sleepwalking in the garbage chute of a high-rise building.
Experts advise taking security precautions: This includes locking the front or balcony door in the evening and hiding the key.
Windows should be blocked with fuses or locks, fragile items should be put away, especially in the sleeping area.
Conscious control is completely absent
Normally, sleepwalking begins during the transition from the first deep sleep to the first dream sleep phase, about an hour to an hour and a half after falling asleep.
According to scientists, a simple stimulus such as a full bladder or a noise can then be sufficient to cause the waking disorder.
During sleepwalking, only certain parts of the brain are activated, the rest remains in deep sleep.
Those affected act automatically, the control through consciousness is completely missing.
Because of this, they cannot remember what happened the next morning either.
Stress and sleep disorders are among the possible causes of the disorder, and sometimes the tendency is inherited.
Alcohol or some sleeping pills can increase the risk because they alter the way you sleep.
kha/dpa