Sleepwalking is one of those funny human quirks. It's a condition where the mind is still asleep, but can perform automatic behavior: those actions you do every day over and over again and you can do without even thinking. Like opening doors, walking through the house, picking up objects, etc.
And nope, nothing wrong with the brain if you sleepwalk. Just another one of those processes that the mind sometimes goes through, a bit unusual, but normal if you have the genes. Kind of like being able to wiggle your ears.
According to biologists, it's an evolutionary thing. Apes developed a brain function that paralyzes the body while asleep, so they wouldn't fall out of trees. That's in part the reason why you can't scream or lift heavy objects in dreams. With time, beds and ground level buildings, evolution started degrading that area of the brain. In many cases, that causes people to twitch and talk in their sleep. And in some, it causes them to sleepwalk.
So, what's with the discovery channel lesson? Turns out this morning around 4:30 I hear a door close downstairs. Probably the wind, I think. Then I hear it open. And I hear it close again. Ok, that's strange.
Then I hear things falling to the ground. And I figure I better go have a look. And I go down the stairs, and find my dad opening and closing file cabinet drawers. I get closer and he doesn't seem to notice... and so then I think wait a second...
And sure enough, he was asleep all the way. It became more than clear when one of the drawers wouldn't open, so he let go, then tried it again, then let go, then tried it again, almost like watching a Roomba at work.
My brother talks in his sleep and sleepwalks. He's done it all his life. I guess I know now where he got it from =)
The million dollar question: so, do you wake them or not? According to experts on the subject, nothing wrong happens if you wake them. It's similar to waking someone up from a nightmare. They're bound to be confused and startled for a few minutes, but they get over it. My experience? It doesn't do much to wake a sleepwalker, since they sometimes fake waking up. They act startled, maybe say a few coherent sentences and act normal, but they're still asleep as ever. And f you don't know that part of their routine, you're bound to just let them walk off thinking they know where they're going =S
I wanted a picture so he'd believe me in the morning, but my mom was horrified at the thought of using a flash on him in that state. In the end she talked him back into bed and he went along. Experience from 30 years of dealing with my brother I guess xD
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