Calidad de la evidencia 4.0/5
Puntuación de revisión en ocho dimensiones según la rúbrica de calidad . Cada dimensión puntuada de 1 a 5.
- D1 Anclaje en las fuentes
- 4/5
- D2 Autoridad de las fuentes
- 4/5
- D3 Aritmética
- 5/5
- D4 Incertidumbre
- 4/5
- D5 Alcance
- 4/5
- D6 Prosa
- 4/5
- D7 Honestidad sobre la percepción
- 4/5
- D8 Completitud de las advertencias
- 3/5
El sonambulismo infantil es tan común que apenas puede considerarse raro. En una cohorte prospectiva de Quebec de 1.940 niños seguidos desde la primera infancia, cerca del 29% fueron sonámbulos al menos una vez entre los 2½ y los 13 años (una cifra que aparece en el comunicado de prensa de la revista), y la proporción en un solo año alcanzó un máximo del 13,4% a los 10 años (Petit et al. 2015). Un metaanálisis que agrupa 51 estudios sitúa la cifra de 12 meses en el 5,0% para los niños, frente al 1,5% en adultos (Stallman y Kohler 2016); la diferencia entre ambas fuentes puede deberse, al menos en parte, a cómo se formuló la pregunta. Lo que nadie ha medido es el número al que realmente se refiere la pregunta de esta página: con qué frecuencia se lesiona un niño sonámbulo. Ningún estudio localizado informa de lesiones por niño sonámbulo o por episodio, y por eso aquí no se publica ninguna probabilidad.
Lo más parecido a datos procede de adultos y adolescentes mayores. Un servicio de urgencias de Berna revisó unas 620.000 admisiones a lo largo de unos 15 años y encontró 11 lesiones relacionadas con el sonambulismo; las caídas fueron el mecanismo principal, cuatro pacientes ingresaron en el hospital y ninguno murió (Sauter et al. 2016). Eso equivale a una de cada 56.000 visitas, lo que suena tranquilizador pero no es una tasa por sonámbulo: el servicio no atiende a nadie menor de 16 años, no sabe cuántos sonámbulos viven en su área y solo encuentra los casos en los que alguien escribió «sonambulismo» en la historia clínica. El miedo en sí se construye con unas pocas imágenes vívidas (lo alto de la escalera, la barrera sin cerrar, la ventana abierta) que las recomendaciones pediátricas repiten al aconsejar barreras y ventanas cerradas. Ese tipo de recomendación señala un peligro plausible, no una frecuencia medida.
Es más fácil describir en qué variaría la cifra ausente entre hogares que calcularla. La probabilidad de ser sonámbulo aumenta con los antecedentes familiares, del 22,5% de los niños sin progenitor sonámbulo al 47,4% con uno y al 61,5% con dos (Petit et al. 2015). Las escaleras, las literas y las ventanas accesibles probablemente influyen en el riesgo de lesión, pero ningún estudio ha comparado las tasas de lesión de los sonámbulos en esos entornos. Para las caídas por escaleras y ventanas en general, estuviera o no despierto el niño, véanse Caida en escaleras (ninos) y Caída de un niño por la ventana; ninguna de las dos separa las caídas durante el sonambulismo de las comunes.
Datos curiosos relacionados
Unos 3 de cada 10 niños (según el comunicado de prensa de la revista) de una cohorte de Quebec de 1.940 fueron sonámbulos al menos una vez entre los 2½ y los 13 años. Nunca se ha medido con qué frecuencia se lesiona un niño sonámbulo, en las escaleras o en cualquier otro lugar.
Registro de evidencia
Cada número a continuación es lo que reportó cada fuente, con la cita textual en la que nos basamos y cómo llegamos a nuestra cifra. Haz clic en cualquier enlace para verificarlo directamente.
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[1] JAMA Pediatrics (Petit et al. 2015; 169(7):653-658) — Childhood Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors: A Longitudinal Study of Prevalence and Familial Aggregation
Childhood Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors: A Longitudinal Study of Prevalence and Familial Aggregation- Estadística
Prospective Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development cohort, N=1,940 children followed 1999-2011: sleepwalking prevalence peaked at 13.4% (95% CI 11.3%-15.5%) at age 10; childhood sleepwalking prevalence was 22.5% with no parental history, 47.4% with one sleepwalking parent, and 61.5% with two- Extracto
“"The peak of prevalence was observed at 1½ years for sleep terrors (34.4% of children; 95% CI, 32.3%-36.5%) and at age 10 years for sleepwalking (13.4%; 95% CI, 11.3%-15.5%)." ... "The prevalence of childhood sleepwalking increases with the degree of parental history of sleepwalking: 22.5% (95% CI, 19.2%-25.8%) for children without a parental history of sleepwalking, 47.4% (95% CI, 38.9%-55.9%) for children who had 1 parent with a history of sleepwalking, and 61.5% (95% CI, 42.8%-80.2%) for children whose mother and father had a history of sleepwalking." [Abstract text; PubMed and JAMA Network were not directly reachable in-session, so the wording was confirmed via exact-phrase search of the indexed abstract] ”
- Datos de la fuente de
- 2015-07-01
- Accedido
- 2026-09-26
- Cálculo
- Used only as context for exposure: how many children sleepwalk at all. The 13.4% peak at age 10 is a point prevalence in that year; the 22.5% / 47.4% / 61.5% figures are cumulative childhood prevalence stratified by parental history. No injury outcome is reported, so nothing is converted to a native or normalized probability. The parental-history gradient is described in prose rather than as personal_factor_multipliers because this entry carries no_reliable_estimate and the gradient shifts the chance of sleepwalking, not the chance of injury given sleepwalking.
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[2] JAMA Pediatrics press release via EurekAlert! (AAAS) — Kids likely to sleepwalk if parents have history of nocturnal strolls
Kids likely to sleepwalk if parents have history of nocturnal strolls- Estadística
Overall childhood prevalence of sleepwalking, ages 2½ to 13, was 29.1% in the Quebec cohort- Extracto
“"The overall childhood prevalence of sleepwalking (ages 2½ to 13 years) was 29.1 percent." ”
- Datos de la fuente de
- 2015-05-04
- Accedido
- 2026-09-26
- Cálculo
- The journal's own press release for Petit et al. (2015), cited because it states the cumulative 2½-to-13 figure in one line. The 29.1% could not be found in the indexed abstract text via search, so it rests on this release rather than the peer-reviewed abstract; the abstract's parental-history strata (22.5% to 61.5%) are consistent with it. Rounded to "about 29%" / "about 3 in 10" in the quick answer and prose. Exposure context only; no injury figure.
- Independencia
- Not independent of Petit et al. (2015); it summarizes the same study.
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[3] PLOS ONE (Stallman & Kohler 2016) — Prevalence of Sleepwalking: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Prevalence of Sleepwalking: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis- Estadística
Meta-analysis of 51 studies (N=100,490): lifetime sleepwalking prevalence 6.9% (95% CI 4.6%-10.3%); 12-month prevalence 5.0% (95% CI 3.8%-6.5%) in children versus 1.5% (95% CI 1.0%-2.3%) in adults- Extracto
“"The estimated lifetime prevalence of sleepwalking was 6.9% (95% CI 4.6%-10.3%). The current prevalence rate of sleepwalking within the last 12 months was significantly higher in children [5.0% (95% CI 3.8%-6.5%)] than adults [1.5% (95% CI 1.0%-2.3%)]." [Abstract text; PLOS and PMC were not directly reachable in-session, so the wording was confirmed via search of the indexed abstract; dash and bracket punctuation may differ slightly from the published typography] ”
- Datos de la fuente de
- 2016-11-10
- Accedido
- 2026-09-26
- Cálculo
- Supplies the pooled 12-month figure: roughly 1 in 20 children sleepwalk in a given year. The pooled lifetime figure (6.9%, mixed ages) is far below the Quebec cohort's 29.1% because most pooled studies used single retrospective questions rather than repeated prospective parent reports (an interpretation, not a finding of either paper), which suggests sleepwalking counts are sensitive to method. Exposure context only; no injury figure.
- Independencia
- Independent research group and methodology (pooled cross-sectional studies) from the Quebec cohort.
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[4] Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (Sauter et al. 2016; 17(6):709-712) — Somnambulism: Emergency Department Admissions Due to Sleepwalking-Related Trauma
Somnambulism: Emergency Department Admissions Due to Sleepwalking-Related Trauma- Estadística
11 sleepwalking-related trauma presentations among about 620,000 ED admissions at Inselspital, Bern, 2000-2015; falls were the leading mechanism; 4 of 11 (36.4%) were hospitalized; no deaths; adult department treating patients aged 16 and over (two of the 11 were 16)- Extracto
“"Of 620,000 screened ED admissions, 11 were associated with trauma and sleepwalking." ... "Although sleepwalking seems benign in the majority of cases and most of the few injured patients will not require hospitalization, major injuries are possible." [First sentence from the abstract; second from the full-text Conclusion (the abstract reads "did not require"). Both checked against the Europe PMC full text, 2026-09-27] ”
- Datos de la fuente de
- 2016-11-01
- Accedido
- 2026-09-26
- Cálculo
- The only systematic count of sleepwalking injuries located. It cannot anchor a pediatric estimate: the adult department treats patients aged 16 and over, there is no denominator of sleepwalkers in the catchment, and cases were found by chart search, which misses injuries not recorded as sleepwalking-related. 11 / 620,000 is a share of ED visits (about 1 in 56,000), not a probability per sleepwalker, and is shown for scale only. This is the reason for no_reliable_estimate.
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[5] Nemours KidsHealth — Sleepwalking (for Parents)
Sleepwalking (for Parents)- Estadística
Pediatric safety guidance for sleepwalking children: gates at bedroom door and/or stair top; locked windows and doors- Extracto
“"Install safety gates outside your child's room and/or at the top of any stairs." ... "Lock the windows and doors in your child's bedroom and throughout your home in case your young sleepwalker wanders." [kidshealth.org was not directly reachable in-session; wording confirmed via exact-phrase search of the indexed page] ”
- Datos de la fuente de
- 2026-09-26
- Accedido
- 2026-09-26
- Cálculo
- Establishes that stairs and windows are the hazards pediatric guidance singles out. Guidance, not evidence of frequency: it gives no injury rate and no data on how much gates or locks reduce injury among sleepwalkers. source_date set to access date because the page shows a rolling review date.