Is sleep walking really "sleep walking"

[Mish]

Or is it an act of being awake and fully conscious at the time, but having no memory or recollection of events later on?

[miSSleepy]

I read that it happens when the chemical that paralyses muscles while you're asleep to stop you acting out your dreams doesn't actually do its job. We talked about this chemical in the sleep paralysis thread.

[Aegis]

if it's the latter, I've done that a hell of a lot while drunk.

[Mish]

I read that it happens when the chemical that paralyses muscles while you're asleep to stop you acting out your dreams doesn't actually do its job. We talked about this chemical in the sleep paralysis thread.

To me that doesn't really explain how a person can successfully achieve tasks such as walking and navigating around the room, opening the fridge and having a drink of water, driving etc. These tasks suggest that the person must be at least semi conscious and have full use of various mental facilities.

[Gribble]

My recollection is incredibly sketchy, but I have a book somewhere which discusses an interesting phenomenon. According to some research, when you choose to reach for a glass of water, wiggle your finger, or what have you, your brain sends the signal out a few hundred or so milliseconds before the idea enters your conscious mind.

So perhaps a sleep walker's brain doesn't particularly feel the need to instruct the conscious mind of what it is doing at the moment. It forgoes the illusion of free will because it's too drowsy to give a damn.

[Illusional]

you're awake consciously, however, your a certain part of your mind is sleeping... mainly the memory area. this also happens when i drink too much.

raverboy

[lesa]

Listen to Illusional. He knows what he is talking about hehe. Just playing with you.

Mishanya, have you ever awaken from sleep for less than 30 seconds? Would you remember? Most people cannot recall what they do when they are awake for less than a minute (I can't remember the number maybe up to 3 minutes?) That happens to almost all of us.

I think sleepwalkers must have that number extend longer than normal. They appear fully awake to me but they cannot remember what they did. Just like we 'normal' people sometimes cannot recall what we do within the first 30 seconds of abrupt awakenings. I do recall turning off the alarm but sometimes when I am very sleepy I cannot.

[Tedel]

A friend's son walks while asleep. It's been a funny surprise seeing him downstairs, with his arms forward, walking in the middle of the living room while were in a small party; and then waking up scared when someone touched and awoke him.

"Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!", he cried.
We l.o.a.o.

[lesa]

A friend's son walks while asleep. It's been a funny surprise seeing him downstairs, with his arms forward, walking in the middle of the living room while were in a small party; and then waking up scared when someone touched and awoke him.

"Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!", he cried.
We l.o.a.o.

Are you sure he wasn't faking to see the party? The arms forward doesn't seem right but everyone is different.

I know a real sleepwalker and the only thing weird is that they ignore you and don't talk but they can talk but it just spooks me out to wake them up so I just let them be.

[Tedel]

Very sure, his mum, my friend, told us how he did that at least twice a week since the boy was 6. Now he's 9, I guess.

[DoesntMatter]

I use to sleepwalk once in a while, but haven't in over a year or so. I would just do random things that didn't make sense, like one time I went into my parents room sleepwalking and asked them "What are all those people doing downstairs" even though it was like 1am and just 4 people in the house, all upstairs in bed

[Mish]

Mishanya, have you ever awaken from sleep for less than 30 seconds? Would you remember? Most people cannot recall what they do when they are awake for less than a minute (I can't remember the number maybe up to 3 minutes?) That happens to almost all of us.

I think sleepwalkers must have that number extend longer than normal. They appear fully awake to me but they cannot remember what they did.

That's what I think as well. I think sleepwalkers are conscious to some extent, they just don't remember what they do. So, they are not actually sleep walking, they are awake walking but forgetfully.

[lesa]

That's what I think as well. I think sleepwalkers are conscious to some extent, they just don't remember what they do. So, they are not actually sleep walking, they are awake walking but forgetfully.

It's very weird though. When you attempt to "wake" them up they do regain memory so I don't know what is really going on in them. I know that waking them up appears to be more tramatic for the observer than the sleepwalker (they may be confused). I don't wake them up because it is too scary to see their reaction and then I forget. I've only awaken them once, I think...I can't remember. I looks normal until you wake them up.

[lesa]

I just read a simple article talking about sleepwalking. Since in Non-REM sleep the brain is less active and the body is more active that kind of explains why they move but cannot remember. I realize another sleep disorder this person had. Oh my.

[Gigabitch]

Are you completely unconscious when you're dreaming? No, you're partially conscious. Sleepwalking is pretty much the same. My daughter sleepwalks. She is definitely not awake when she's doing this.