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What’s common between Sachin Tendulkar, Waheeda Rehman in a 1968 movie
and my friend who shot this video? They’re all sleepwalkers.
I wonder why we sleepwalk.
Did you know that people sleepwalk with their eyes open?
Eating, driving, walking out of their windows – these are the least crazy things people have done while sleepwalking.
So what’s going on with sleepwalkers?
Dr Manjari Tripathi, Neurologist, AIIMS Delhi explains:
Basically, these chemicals act like a brake in your brain to give your body some rest. So, when the brake fails, you end up moving around even when you’re asleep.
Sleepwalking happens in the stage 3 and 4 of sleep which is deep sleep or NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
Wait, so are sleepwalkers just acting out their dreams?
People don’t remember sleepwalking because the NREM stages of sleep are not associated to the memory parts of the brain.
Should yo wake up the sleepwalker or let them be?
“If you wake up the sleepwalker with a sudden motion, it may disorient them. So best is to just walk them back to bed so that they don’t end up doing harmful activities,” Dr Tripathi says.
Sleepwalking is mostly common in kids. Scientists say that it’s possibly because the body hasn’t matured enough to produce the proper amount of the chemical GABA which stops our movements in sleep.
Sleepwalking in adults is mostly linked to other problems like sleep deprivation, stress, alcoholism, or psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, or PTSD. Sleepwalking is also genetic.
A good sleep hygiene, maintaining 8 hours of sleep, and sleeping on time is essential to prevent sleepwalking.
Comment with the most fun sleepwalking story you’ve heard. And tell us what you want the next episode of ‘I Wonder Why’ to discuss.
Video Editing and Graphics: Kunal Mehra
Cameraperson: Athar Rather and Abhishek Ranjan
Camera Assistants: Mayank Chawla and Sravya M G
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Published: 20 Jun 2018,01:08 PM IST