Why Sleepwalking Happens

          "Sleepwalking (also called somnambulism) is a disorder of arousal, where the brain is triggered to rouse the body while in a deep sleep." This disorder causes people to get out of bed and move around while they're asleep. They might creep along the house, run through home, or even climb out the window or walk out the door. Their eyes may be open and glassy. If you ask them questions, there is a chance that they may not even answer or they will answer very slowly. Sleepwalking occurs when you are in the first third of the night when you are in the deepest stages of sleep and that is called NREM sleep. In this sleep cycle, your brainwaves may be slow but your body is really active and this time of night is when you toss and turn the most. The age that sleepwalking is most likely to occur in is the age of 4 and 8 years old. If they suffered from night terrors when they were babies, then they are more at risk. They outgrow this sleepwalking disorder by the time they turn 12 years old. However, sleepwalking is not just for kids, it is said that nearly four percent of adults in the United States do it, too. 

          There is no particular reason why people sleepwalk, but several factors influence the occurrence of sleepwalking. One reason may be the genetics in families. It may run in the family. Another reason is that there may be environmental triggers. Not having enough sleep is a common cause for sleepwalking. The third reason could be medical conditions. Medications can make you more prone or more likely to sleepwalk. There could be irregular heartbeats, sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and asthma. These are three typical reasons why people sleepwalk. 

         There once was a time where I slept walk and I was at a young age. I think I was at least 10 years old. I remember when I was living in Anchorage when one night I slept walked to the fridge. I must have been dreaming of a toilet or going to the bathroom because I went to the fridge opened it and almost went to the bathroom. Luckily, my mom caught me and stopped me. She took me back to my room and put me back in bed. Another sleepwalking incident happened my last Anchorage trip for my braces. It was shortly after my appointment, I went back to the hotel and slept the rest of the time almost. My mom said that I slept walk to the curtains in our hotel room and started touching them. I was just feeling curtains. When I woke up, I was laying on the bed in the room weird and at the end of the bed. I don't remember how I got that way and what I did. That is the outcome of sleepwalking and what it can do.

Resources: "Sleepwalking: Why It Happens." Web log post. Sleep.org. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.