Sleepwalking, or performing certain movements while sleeping, or even getting out of bed to walk, is a common occurrence.

At the microphone of Europe 1, Pierre Philip, head of the sleep medicine department at Bordeaux University Hospital, twists his neck to a received idea: yes, sleepwalkers must be woken up!

Sleepwalking is the object of many fantasies.

He even inspired some artists.

In one of his most famous operas,

 La Sonnambula

, Vincenzo Bellini makes it the main source of the plot: villagers accuse one of their own of adultery, unaware that it is a sleepwalking crisis that has caused it. driving to another man's room.

In

Sans Rendez-vous

, the health program of Europe 1, a listener wonders about one of the main clichés associated with sleepwalking: "They say that you should not wake a sleepwalker. Is it true and if yes, why ?"

>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here

Professor Pierre Philip, head of the sleep medicine department at Bordeaux University Hospital and author of the book

Antifatigue

chez Albin Michel, replied: "Sleepwalking is a very common behavior linked to the fact that the motor lock that prevents movement when one is asleep is broken. Despite the fact of sleeping soundly, we can have automatic behaviors, such as walking, which can be problematic or even dangerous. "

How to react in front of a person in a state of sleepwalking?

"We must therefore be attentive to the risk of injury," warns Pierre Philip.

"Unfortunately, every year there are cases of defenestration in sleepwalkers."

And contrary to received ideas, "they must be awakened", assures the specialist.

"On the other hand, we must be very delicate when doing it because it can create a confusing state, that is to say a moment of panic in people who wake up from their sleep and find themselves, all of a sudden , in the middle of their apartment. You have to be reassuring not to worry them. "

And Pierre Philip concludes: "We can also try to bring them back to their room. In some cases, it is possible to put a sleepwalker back to bed without waking him up."