You wake up with a weirdly dry mouth and a bruise on your shin that definitely wasn't there when you brushed your teeth at 11:00 PM. The kitchen chair is pulled out. Maybe the front door is unlocked. It’s a unsettling feeling, honestly, like someone else was living in your body while "you" were offline. You start wondering: how do you know if you sleepwalk when you aren't actually conscious to witness it?
It’s a trip.
Sleepwalking, or somnambulism if you want to be formal about it, happens during the deepest stage of non-REM sleep. Usually, this is about an hour or two after you drift off. Your brain is partially awake—enough to move your legs and open your eyes—but your mind is still checked out in dreamland. It’s a glitch in the transition between sleep stages.
The Physical Clues You Leave Behind
Most people find out they sleepwalk because someone else sees them doing it. If you live alone, you have to become a bit of a forensic investigator in your own bedroom.
Check your surroundings the moment you wake up. Are the covers completely ripped off the bed? Is there a trail of crumbs leading to the couch? Sleepwalkers often perform "automated" behaviors. This means tasks you do every day, like making a sandwich or opening a door, can be triggered while you're technically asleep. Dr. Carlos Schenck, a renowned psychiatrist and sleep researcher at the University of Minnesota, has documented cases where people didn't just walk; they rearranged furniture or even tried to drive.
Look for "evidence of activity" that doesn't fit your nighttime routine. This could be finding your car keys in the fridge or seeing your shoes by the door when you know you left them in the closet.
Then there are the physical sensations. If you feel exhausted despite getting eight hours, your body might have been doing a marathon while your brain thought it was resting. Unexplained scratches, sore muscles, or a "foggy" feeling in the morning are major red flags.
Why the "Morning Fog" Matters
It’s called sleep drunkenness. Formally, it’s confusional arousal. If someone tries to wake you up while you’re mid-walk, you won’t just "snap out of it" like in the movies. You’ll be incredibly disoriented. You might be combative. You might not know where you are for several minutes. If you have a partner who tells you that you seemed "possessed" or "totally blank" when they spoke to you at night, that’s a classic sign.
📖 Related: Can You Drink Green Tea Empty Stomach: What Your Gut Actually Thinks
It’s Not Just Walking: The Spectrum of Sleep Behaviors
Actually, "sleepwalking" is a bit of a misnomer. It covers a huge range of behaviors.
Some people just sit up in bed and stare. They look awake. Their eyes are open. But if you wave a hand in front of them, there’s nobody home. This is the mild end of the spectrum. Then you have the "producers"—the people who go into the kitchen and start cooking. This is actually a specific subtype called Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED).
There's also the "sleep talker" crossover. While sleep talking (somniloquy) is usually harmless, it often accompanies sleepwalking. If you’re vocalizing gibberish while moving around, you’re definitely in the somnambulism zone.
Is it dangerous? Usually, no. But the environment makes it dangerous. Stairs are the enemy. Sharp corners are the enemy. The myth that you shouldn't wake a sleepwalker is actually kind of wrong—you should wake them if they are about to walk out a window, but do it gently. Shouting can trigger a fight-or-flight response because their amygdala (the fear center) is often more active than their prefrontal cortex (the logic center) during these episodes.
The Science of Why Your Brain Stays "On"
Sleep is not a flat line. It’s a series of cycles. You've got REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. Most sleepwalking happens in Stage 3 non-REM, which is that "dead to the world" deep sleep.
In a normal brain, there’s a mechanism that keeps you paralyzed so you don’t act out your dreams. This is why you don't actually run when you're dreaming of being chased. But in sleepwalkers, this switch is leaky. For children, it’s often just because their central nervous system hasn't fully matured yet. That's why kids sleepwalk way more than adults. Most grow out of it by puberty.
If you're an adult and asking how do you know if you sleepwalk, the triggers are usually more environmental or chemical.
👉 See also: Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar: Why That Cloudy Stuff in the Bottle Actually Matters
- Sleep Deprivation: If you’re exhausted, your brain tries to compensate by staying in deep sleep longer, which increases the "pressure" for a sleepwalking event.
- Stress: Anxiety keeps the brain in a state of high arousal.
- Medications: Certain sleeping pills, specifically sedative-hypnotics like Ambien (Zolpidem), are notorious for this. They knock out your consciousness but sometimes leave the motor functions running.
- Fever: Illness can spike brain activity in weird ways during sleep.
Diagnostic Steps: How to Confirm It
If you suspect you're a midnight wanderer, you don't necessarily need a high-tech lab right away.
Start with a "sleep diary," but focus on the external. Note down if you find things out of place.
Technology is your friend here. Many people use motion-activated cameras (like a cheap nanny cam or an old smartphone with an app) to catch themselves in the act. Seeing yourself on video is often the only way to truly believe it's happening. There are also apps that record audio; if you hear the sound of footsteps and doors opening at 3:00 AM, you have your answer.
If it’s happening frequently—like more than once a week—or if you’ve almost hurt yourself, it’s time to see a specialist. A doctor might suggest a polysomnography. That’s a fancy word for a sleep study where they hook you up to electrodes and watch your brain waves, heart rate, and leg movements overnight. They’re looking to rule out other things, like REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (which is different and sometimes linked to neurological issues) or sleep apnea, which can actually trigger a sleepwalking episode by gasping you "awake" just enough to move.
Making Your Bedroom a "Safe Zone"
Knowing is half the battle. The other half is making sure you don't fall down a flight of stairs.
You need to "sleepwalk-proof" your house. It sounds silly, like baby-proofing for an adult, but it works.
- Clear the Floor: No Legos, no power cords, no stray shoes.
- Lock the Perimeters: Use deadbolts or bells on your bedroom door. The sound of a bell ringing might be enough to pull you into a slightly more conscious state so you stop.
- Ground Floor: If possible, sleep on the first floor.
- Windows: Make sure they are heavy or locked.
Actionable Next Steps to Take Today
If you’re convinced you’re sleepwalking, don't panic. For most adults, it’s a temporary reaction to stress or poor sleep hygiene.
✨ Don't miss: Beard transplant before and after photos: Why they don't always tell the whole story
First, standardize your wake-up time. Even on weekends. This stabilizes your sleep cycles and prevents the "rebound" deep sleep that triggers episodes.
Second, assess your "nightcap." Alcohol is a massive trigger. It might help you fall asleep, but it fragments your sleep architecture, making it way more likely that you’ll have a confusional arousal later in the night. Skip the booze for two weeks and see if the nighttime "adventures" stop.
Third, manage the transition. Create a 30-minute wind-down period with no screens. You want your brain to transition smoothly into sleep stages rather than crashing into them.
Lastly, if you share a bed, tell your partner. They need to know that if they find you wandering, they shouldn't shake you. They should gently guide you back to bed by the elbow, speaking in a low, calm voice. Usually, a sleepwalker will comply with simple directions without ever waking up.
Stop wondering and start observing. If the evidence is there—the moved objects, the morning exhaustion, the mysterious bruises—take it seriously. It’s your body’s way of saying your sleep cycle needs a little help.
Check your door locks tonight. Set up a recording app. Get some data. Most of the time, once you fix the underlying stress or sleep debt, the sleepwalking resolves itself without any heavy medical intervention.