Adult Sleepwalking Can be Dangerous, Even Deadly

I was inspired to research the subject of adult sleepwalking, and make this page after a recent midnight foray into the kitchen. They tell me I was rummaging around in cabinets, opening and closing drawers, and digging through the trash can. When my husband asked what I was doing, I informed him I was "looking for my bag of bras!" Apparently, I was also rambling on about something to do with zebras!

I've done this from time to time, since I was a kid! A couple of months ago, I woke up one morning and found a peppershaker full of milk sitting on the bathroom counter. I tried blaming it on my niece, until I was told, "We watched you do it."

Then there was the time I hid my husband's blood pressure pills. I finally found them later the next day, on a bathroom shelf, behind a whole lot of other stuff. I'm pretty sure I took some of them, because I felt really, really weird, shaky, and weak all that day.

Are you familiar with those microwave heat packs, such as the 'Bed Buddy?' I've burned up at least four or five of those over the years. I'd get up in the middle of the night to reheat it, without being aware of what I was doing and leave it in way too long. More often than not, I went back to bed, and found it in the microwave the next morning. A few times I tried to put it on my neck and burned myself. The worst time ever, apparently it was actually on fire. I dropped it on the bedroom floor on my way back to bed, and actually burned a hole through the carpet. The smell of the smoldering carpet padding woke me up. (Boy! Does that stuff stink!) As much as I loved my 'Bed Buddy,' --it helped my neck problems a lot--I won't let myself buy them anymore.

My husband has had to drag me off the porch and back to bed on more than one occasion. At least once, I actually made it down the steps and into the yard before he caught up with me! We live in the middle of 32 acres of raw, natural Florida woods (almost like a jungle), I've been known to get lost out there in broad daylight and wide-awake. It would be real easy to get very lost wandering around out there in the middle of the night while sleeping...and let's not even think about the snakes and spiders and Florida panthers.

My scariest late-night escapade? Several years ago, I was going through a horrifically stressful time at work. I was really into crossword puzzles in those days (before I discovered the internet), and often "puzzled" in bed to relax, before dozing off to sleep. In the wee hours, my husband noticed out of the corner of his eye, a flashing light in the kitchen. I had placed my puzzle book AND erasable pen in the microwave oven, and turned it on...set for more than 20 minutes! It actually melted the metal tip of the pen into the glass tray. I shudder to think what might have happened if he had not been up and the microwave had run the entire 20+ minutes!

It's a very good thing my husband is a night owl and often stays up until 2 or 3 in the morning!

My most embarassing sleepwalking moment? I woke myself up, pounding on the door of my hotel room.....

from the outside...

clad in one-piece footie pajamas. (Thank God, at least I had something on!)

Click here to read a news article about sleepwalking nude/scantily clad hotel guests.

As you can imagine, I've had numerous adventures over the years, due to my sleepwalking events--Almost none of which I remember. While there have been plenty of hilarious stories, many also had the potential to be disastrous.....
Taking someone else's medicine? Wandering off into the woods? Nearly catching the microwave on fire? Burning myself?

Yes, my friends, adult sleepwalking can be very dangerous!

What is sleepwalking?

Somnambulism, commonly known as 'Sleepwalking Disorder,' is characterized by incidences of various motor activities while sleeping. It can include such movements as sitting up in the bed, walking around, sometimes talking as well. Some people have been known to carry out activities like cleaning house, eating, rearranging furniture, and other common actions. It can also involve actions that are crude, strange, or in the wrong place. This might include urinating in the wrong place, such as a trash can or closet or climbing out of a window. It can also result in hostile and violent behavior.

The person usually appears to be wide-awake, because their eyes are open, and they navigate around furnishings and objects, as if they can see where they're going. Some sleepwalkers are unresponsive when someone tries to communicate with them. Others will carry on fairly lucid conversations. Many will talk incoherently or blither away about very strange topics. Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder, and is sometimes associated with sleep terrors.

Sleepwalking episodes as a rule occur during the first third of the night, during the deepest stage of sleep. The episodes can last from a few minutes, up to an hour or more, although typically, they last around 5-15 minutes. Most sleepwalkers have no memory of their nocturnal wanderings upon waking up in the morning.

Causes:

In adult sleepwalking, many different issues may trigger an episode. Some of the more common causes include:

Stress/Anxiety: This is probably the most common cause of sleepwalking.

Genetics: There is a very strong family connection in sleepwalking. A person with parents or other close relatives who sleepwalk is about 10 times more likely to sleepwalk themselves. My parents don't sleepwalk, however, my adult son sometimes walks around his house while sleeping.

Sleep Deprivation: Severe lack of sleep can initiate sleepwalking events, even in people who have no history of sleepwalking otherwise.

Alcohol or Drug Use/Abuse: Sleepwalking is not at all unusual among people who drink heavily before bedtime or use certain recreational drugs. Alcohol or drugs can trigger some rather bizarre sleepwalking activities. Sleepwalking can be dangerous. It is exponentially more dangerous when you are under the influence.

Hormones: Adolescence, pregnancy, PMS or menopause can cause sleepwalking , due to hormonal changes.

Noise or Light: Sometimes noise and/or light can rouse a person enough to sleepwalk, but not enough to wake them.

Certain Medical Conditions--Some of the more common conditions include:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Hyperthyroidism
Migraine Headaches
Fever

Some Medications Including:
Anti-arrythmic medication
Anti-anxiety drugs
Anti-seizure meds
Stimulants
Anti-histimines
CERTAIN PRESCRIPTION SLEEP AIDS, including Ambien and Lunesta.
If you have any tendency to sleepwalk, avoid at all costs, the use of prescription sleep aids such as Ambien and Lunesta. These and similar drugs are known to cause sleepwalking, sometimes with very frightening activities like sleep driving, sleep eating, and sleep sexual behaviors. NOTE: If you experience any kind of sleepwalking event--no matter how minor or silly--while taking these medications, discontinue use and notify your medical provider immediately. Your life could depend on it! The next episode could cause you to get in your car and drive. Many of these incidents have ended in serious car crashes.

Statistics:

Sleepwalking is not uncommon in children. It is estimated that 10-30% of children have experienced at least one sleepwalking episode. The incidents usually begin between the ages of four and eight, and can continue on into the teens, or early adulthood.

Sleepwalking Disorder is only seen in about 1-5% of children, more often in boys.

Adults who sleepwalk often have a history of sleepwalking dating back to childhood. Sleepwalking events take place in about 1-7% of adults.

Sleepwalking Disorder affects less than 1% of adults.

What is the difference?
The line between periodic sleepwalking and Sleepwalking Disorder is not well defined. Generally for a diagnosis of Sleepwalking Disorder, the person must endure a significant amount of social, occupational, or other impairment related to the sleepwalking issue, or if episodes have been violent or pose a risk for injury. Sleepwalkers with a long history dating from childhood into adulthood are more likely to be diagnosed with Sleepwalking Disorder.

How is it diagnosed?

The favored method for accurate diagnosis is using polysomnography. This involves electrodes being hooked up to various parts of the body to monitor brain wave activity, heart and breathing, and other vital signs, while sleeping. This process can usually give the doctor an accurate diagnosis of the condition, and help determine the best course of treatment.

Sleepwalking disorder is not generally diagnosed, if it's believed to be related to drug/alcohol use, medications or certain medical conditions.

What are the treatments?

If episodes are infrequent and do not pose a hazard to the sleepwalker or others, usually no treatment is needed.

If the events are frequent, violent or dangerous, or causing daytime fatigue due to disturbed sleep, some form of treatment may be helpful.

If stress appears to trigger sleepwalking events in adults, self-hypnosis, stress management, biofeedback training, or relaxation techniques can be beneficial. Self-hypnosis has proven to be very helpful for sleepwalkers. They train themselves to awaken once their feet touch the floor. Psychotherapy may help individuals who have underlying psychological issues that could be contributing to sleep problems.

Medications are sometimes used in the more severe cases with adults. Certain anti-anxiety drugs, such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax) can be used to help relax muscles, although these may or may not result in fewer episodes of sleepwalking.

I have chosen to use Self-hypnosis. So far, so good, although my episodes aren't that frequent. But I DO know I seem to be sleeping better, I'm waking up less in the night, and sleeping a little later in the morning, instead of waking at 4-5 a.m. I'm planning to try other self-hypnosis programs for some of the other problems in my life. Self-hypnosis is very inexpensive, compared to other remedies, and has a great success record!

CLICK HERE to Stop Adult Sleepwalking Now!

I must admit, I wasn't sure what to think about this hypnosis thing. I remember seeing a nightclub act many, many years ago, where the hypnotist had people 'crowing like chickens,' and performing other silly acts up on the stage. But as I started researching the subject, I learned that true hypnosis is nothing like what I witnessed that night. Read the following article for the real inside scoop.

5 Hypnosis Myths Exploded

OVER the years, hypnosis has picked up all sorts of weird associations from stage hypnotists, the media and superstition. This is a great shame, because in reality, hypnosis is your single most effective tool for change. Hypnosis is your birthright, and you should know how to use it so it doesn't use you. Here we dispel the biggest hypnosis myths.

Hypnosis Myth 1) All hypnosis is the same

As with anything, hypnosis can be good, bad or indifferent. The most common is old-style authoritarian hypnosis of the type "You are getting sleepy, you are feeling confident". Unsurprisingly, this sort of hypnosis doesn't work well with many people. Good hypnosis uses subtle psychological principles and advanced communication patterns.

It's like the difference between a football coach who thinks you'll perform best if he yells at you, compared with the more elegant style of a great leader who knows that to get the best from his people, he needs to understand motivation, to cajole, encourage and reward.

Hypnosis Downloads.com offers hundreds of sessions using the best type of hypnosis.

Hypnosis Myth 2) Subliminals work

Subliminals are words that you can't hear. Common sense says they shouldn't work, and there's no research proving that they do.

Hypnosis Myth 3) Some people can't be hypnotized

The only reason you can't be hypnotized is if you are incapable of paying attention due to extremely low IQ or brain damage. That's not to say that every hypnotist can hypnotize you however. The more flexible the hypnotist, the more effective she will be with the largest number of people.

Hypnosis Myth 4) Hypnosis is something weird that other people do to you

If you couldn't go into hypnosis, you wouldn't be able to sleep, to learn, or get nervous through 'negative self hypnosis'. (You know when you imagine things going wrong and it makes you feel anxious? Well that's self hypnosis!)

Hypnosis is simply a deliberate utilization of the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or dream state. We're not giving people medication here - if it wasn't a natural ability, hypnosis wouldn't work!

Hypnosis Myth 5) You lose control in hypnosis

Crazy news stories, stage hypnotists and gossip have created the illusion that you lose control in hypnosis. In fact, when hypnotized, you are relaxed and focused - and able to choose to get up and walk away at any time. You choose to give your attention to the hypnotist, and you can withdraw it at any time.

If you have been scared of hypnosis in the past, this article has hopefully convinced you to at least give it a try. But remember, ensure what you're getting is the real thing. Visit www.hypnosisdownloads.com

Article by Mark Tyrrell of Hypnosis Downloads.com.

CLICK HERE to Stop Adult Sleepwalking Now!

Back around the turn of the century....(I'm referring to the year 2000....gimme a break, I'm not THAT old!), I was working at a doctor's office. We received a call one day from the wife of one of our regular patients, stating that her husband had been involved in a serious automobile accident the night before.

It seems he had taken his Ambien sleeping pill and retired for the evening. A couple of hours later, he got out of bed, went to the garage in his pajamas, started his pick-up truck and took off for who-knows-where. He woke up in the Emergency Room, with both legs and both wrists broken, several fractured ribs, and numerous contusions. He had hit another car head-on, and also seriously injured two other people. He had no recollection of anything after going to bed that night. He did not remember driving his truck and did not remember the crash.

At that time, there were a few obscure notes in the medical literature referring to 'sleep driving, probably related to certain prescription sleep aids.' It was virtually unheard of among the general public, and even most doctors had no knowledge of this serious side effect.

Over the course of the next few years, more and more of these incidents were being reported nationwide. In 2007 the FDA publicly issued warnings about these potential side effects, and began requiring drug companies to print a warning on many prescription sleep-aids.

FDA Announces Mandatory Warnings on Sleep Aids

More Strange Stories
Note: Although the majority of sleepdriving incidents are related to certain prescription sleep aids, there have been several reported in which there were no medications or drugs involved.

Sleepeating, Another Strange Variation on Sleepwalking!

It's estimated that as many as one million Americans may engage in the act of Sleep Eating. It can be a result of genetics, of strenuous dieting, stress or other factors. There have also been incidents reported while using the above mentioned prescription sleep aids. Here is a very interesting in-depth news report, complete with video, explaining this peculiar nocturnal behavior of eating in one's sleep

Crimes and Murders and Sex, OH MY!

In recent years there has been much controversy regarding whether or not a person who commits a crime while sleepwalking should be held legally culpable. There have been cases of battery, sexual assault, theft and even murder, where the guilty party claimed to have been sleepwalking while committing the crime.

Here are some interesting articles regarding the phenomena of sleepcriming.

Criminal Cases Using the Sleepwalking Defense

Sleepwalking Can Get You in Trouble with the Law

Have you heard enough? It's time to do something about your sleepwalking, before you end up in BIG trouble!

CLICK HERE to Stop Adult Sleepwalking Now!