What Causes ‘Sleepwalkers’ to Wander Around at Night?

A sleepwalker is someone who walks or does things while still mostly asleep.

Imagine your brain is like a castle with many rooms. When you're awake, all the rooms are open and bright. But when you go to sleep, some doors close and others stay open, it's kind of like a halfway house between being wide awake and completely asleep.

Sleepwalkers are in that halfway house. Their brain is still working, but not fully. So they might get up, walk around, or even do funny things like talk in their sleep, all while their body is moving but their mind is still dreaming.

Sometimes the dream part of the brain wakes up before the part that tells your body to be quiet, and that’s when you start walking without knowing it.

It's kind of like waking up from a dream, you're still in the middle of your dream, but your body starts moving. That's why sleepwalkers can do strange things at night, like opening the fridge or even going outside! A sleepwalker is someone who walks or does things while still mostly asleep.

Imagine your brain is like a castle with many rooms. When you're awake, all the rooms are open and bright. But when you go to sleep, some doors close and others stay open, it's kind of like a halfway house between being wide awake and completely asleep.

Sleepwalkers are in that halfway house. Their brain is still working, but not fully. So they might get up, walk around, or even do funny things like talk in their sleep, all while their body is moving but their mind is still dreaming.

Sometimes the dream part of the brain wakes up before the part that tells your body to be quiet, and that’s when you start walking without knowing it.

It's kind of like waking up from a dream, you're still in the middle of your dream, but your body starts moving. That's why sleepwalkers can do strange things at night, like opening the fridge or even going outside!