• Question: Why do we sleepwalk?

    Asked by to Charli on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Charlotte Flavell

      Charlotte Flavell answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      Hi Joshd,

      Normally when we fall asleep, our brain activity slows and signals are sent to the rest of our body to keep us still. In some people, the signals that stop us from moving when we are in a deep sleep don’t get sent and that person can end up getting up and moving around. Sleep walking can last anywhere from a few minutes up to 30 minutes, and is usually something that happens when we are children which we eventually grow out of.

      We don’t know why some people sleepwalk and others don’t, but it runs in families which means it could have something to do with our DNA. DNA is like an instruction manual on how to build a person and we are born with half of the instructions that made our mum and half from our dad. If the instructions from one of our parents contained the info on how to sleep walk, then there is a chance that the child will sleep walk too.

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