If someone is sleepwalking, they are walking around while they are asleep. Sleepwalking happens when a person is not fully asleep but not quite awake either. Usually we move from deepest level of sleep to a lighter level and stay there. Sleepwalkers come right up to wake levels but do not fully awaken. It is at this time that they get up and walk. The longer a person stays in deep sleep, the more time it takes for the sleep to be broken. That opens up the possibility of being awakened( but not fully) and of sleepwalking. Sleepwalking happens more often among young people than grown ups because young people usually have more deep sleep. Up to 7% of 5-to 12-year-olds sleepwalk, while only about 2% of grown-ups sleepwalk. We get less deep sleep as we are getting older and the possibility of sleepwalking is also reduced. Sleepwalking may run in family, too. If one of your parents is a sleepwalker, you have about a 50% possibility of also being a sleepwalker.