While asleep, how do our bodies know where the edge of the bed is and prevents us from rolling down the side of the bed?

Question

So, I have been thinking about this because my wife has woken up in the middle of the night thinking I was falling off the side of the bed whereas my sleeping body knew perfectly where the edge of the bed was.

Also, sleeping kids sometimes roll over and fall off the edges whereas as we grow up, our bodies somehow come to learn this ability.

And, it works for us even if it’s an unknown bed for us (a hotel bed for example).

In: Biology

Answer 1

I don’t think your brain is off when you sleep, rather your conscious mind is off.
So the real question here is how do you know where the edge of the bed is when you are awake? You can feel it. How do you feel it? That’s a complicated question about perception.