Sedative use, stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation, and sleep-wake schedule disruptions may increase the likelihood of NREM disorder episodes, and fevers and sleep deprivation may produce a greater frequency of NREM disorders.

There is a high connection of NREM disorders to genetics, in which up to 80% of those who sleepwalk may have a family history of sleepwalking or sleep terrors, thus increasing the risk to offspring to as much as 60% and serving as a predictor of this disorder in future offspring.