Somnambulism

[builder]

I was a pretty chronic sleepwalker in my teen years. Locks on doors didn't stop me for long. Had to wear PJ's to bed, 'cause it wasn't unusual to wake up out on the street. Mother would often find me in the kitchen making a snack, only to find everything still on the bench when she woke up in the morning. Sandwiches, biscuits, cold milo, perfectly made, but uneaten.

 

Can't remember more than four adult sleepwalking incidents, but one happened the other night that could have literally killed me. Camped on a remote stretch of Western Australia's south east coast, I woke to find myself on the beach, on a moonless night, knee-deep in the very cold southern ocean. Air temperature was about 2 degrees C, with a wind chill factor of ten. The ocean was considerably warmer, but I was wet to the waist from waves. Could see the difference between the beach and the thick coastal shrubs, but could not see a way up the ten foot high dune to get off the beach.

 

Was not even sure if I was on the beach where I was camped. Walking up and down, I checked my pockets, no torch, no lighter, no keys. My core temperature had dropped to the point where I was shivering to the bones, and death from hypothermia was not far away. I had jeans (soggy ice) t-shirt and light jacket. I knew if I didn't start running to stay warm, I'd be found dead on that far away beach. I made it to the far end of a three beach bay, and found a towel, so I wrapped my waist up with that, as the groin area loses heat very rapidly. Walked back the way I'd come, and saw a sandfall from the dune face. Figured that might have been where I'd slid down the dune in the first place. Managed to scramble my way up with great difficulty, and found the track back to my car and camp.

 

I keep a spare car key in my wallet, and started the car to get the heater going to thaw out my legs and hands. Frostbite must be hugely painful, because getting the heat back into my limbs was achingly intense. Mangaged to sleep till dawn without further wandering.

 

As I was the only person in that region, my footprints were the only ones on that beach, so I rugged up and went down to see what I could find. My torch and keys were still missing, and the towel I'd found was my own, so I went back to that spot, and found my keys. I could see my footprints heading into the scrub, so I started following them. It took me a good half hour to retrace all my steps, including where I'd walked into the ocean. So, including the walk down to the beach, I'd been sleepwalking for close to one hour before waking, and if there were more than one exit from that beach, I'd have probably taken it, because I tracked up every possible exit before running into impenetrable scrub.

 

Kinda scary stuff. Now, I've done some research on the somnambulism causes, and apart from possible fatigue, or mid-life crisis, I'm buggered if I'd know why I would do such a thing. The torch, which I found near the keys later, I can understand, but the keys and towel?

 

Anyone else have a sleepwalking story?

 

I have a couple more, but they can wait.

[mercury]

I've never sleep walked in my life. I sleep the sleep of the dead or a rock... a really noisy corpse or rock. I snore... sometimes so loudly that I wake myself up! LOL I talk in my sleep sometimes, too.... but I've never, ever walked. The idea of it is really creepy to me... who knows what kinds of things you might attempt to do while you aren't aware? Like your little adventure? That would have freaked me right out.

[ImWithStupid]

Not that I know of, but I hear it can be a scary affliction to live with. People finding they have actually driven cars and such while asleep.

[eddo]

as a child I sometimes found myself in other parts of the house- the bathtub being a particular favorite.

 

 

One of my sisters sleptwalked into a closet thinking it was a bathroom, lol

[RegisteredAndEducated]

I did sleep walk alot as a kid. Would have full blown conversations with anyone that would listen, and not remember a second of it the next day or even 10 minutes later. In one house, there was a hole in the wall (I guess where the door knob hit it 100 times when my brother slammed the door open) that I thought was the bathroom in my subconscious? I would get in trouble all the time for trying to pee on the wall in the formal living room right below that hole...

One house we lived in, I woke up downstairs, standing in the pitch black kitchen. My bedroom was upstairs and I apparently didn't need to use the lights when I was asleep...

 

I don't know of any in my adult life. I've had some sleep-talking comments, but no sleep walking.

[eddo]

my sister and I had an entire conversation while we were asleep once.

 

we were babysitting a friends baby, and had both fallen asleep in the living room. When the friend came to get her baby at about midnight, sis and I were talking up a storm. We were both speaking nonsense, but we would wait for the other to stop before we talked- just like a normal convo.

 

 

 

 

 

We were never asked to babysit again.... lol

[atlantic]

I didn't as a child, but have later in life. I sometimes sleep with my eyes open and talk to, scares the sh t out of my family. My sister is terrible, she sleep eats, walks, goes outside, brings things outside. I once woke to my son sitting up at the end of the bed just talking away in his sleep, freaked me out.

[builder]

I didn't as a child, but have later in life. I sometimes sleep with my eyes open and talk to, scares the sh t out of my family. My sister is terrible, she sleep eats, walks, goes outside, brings things outside. I once woke to my son sitting up at the end of the bed just talking away in his sleep, freaked me out.

 

Interesting, the current research says that sleepwalking is common in children, and most grow out of it. You're the other way around. Tried to add a reply option to the poll, but it's too late.

 

When I take my son camping out, I wait until he has had his "awakening" where he tries to stand up in his tent, arms flailing about, then I tell him he's in a tent, and says, "oh!" and goes back to sleep. Whether he's sleepwalking or not, I'm not sure, but it happens almost every time we camp out. I wait till it happens before I go to my tent.

 

I've always been a sleep-talker, and my son does it a bit too, but at 20 yrs old, I don't spend much time with him now.

[snafu]

No but I've had some pretty vivid dreams before. A few weeks ago I actually cried in my sleep and started doing the serenity prayer. That was pretty bizarre! I'll leave out the rest of the dream.. Edited April 2, 2016 by rem

[emkay64]

I did a lot as a kid. I often ended up outside. My Mom found me many times on the swingset. She often tells of how they had company once and I walked out, rearranged all the shoes and then went back to bed. Once she came to check on me and apparently I was pulling all the blankets off the bed. She asked what I was doing and I informed her that "I am going to fix the line on the TV". I did this a lot and our door needed to be barricaded so the noise would wake them up. Locks did not work.

 

I had epilepsy as a child and apparently the doctors felt it was related. I do talk in my sleep sometimes, but to my knowledge do not take to night wanderings anymore.

[Chi]

When I was a kid, too. My older sister reminds me of the time, I kept scratching the floor insisting I was trying to pick up my slippers to put them on when she asked me what the heck I was doing (I was of course still asleep.)

[builder]

I've never, ever walked. The idea of it is really creepy to me... who knows what kinds of things you might attempt to do while you aren't aware? Like your little adventure? That would have freaked me right out.

 

Part of lapsing into hypothermia is initial panic, followed by a slow numbing of the senses. I learnt and taught survival training, so I kind of knew what was happening. I had to get a grip and control the panic, and decide to act. Running fast in soft sand will heat you up inside, but with wet jeans on, the effect would be temporary. I'm a realist, mercury, and I knew if I didn't get off that beach and warm up, I was as good as dead.

 

I was scared shitless.

[builder]

Locks did not work.

 

Yup, which lends the lie to the "sleep" part of it. We are aware on some level, enough to sort out the locks, etc. Or on my part, to hear the ocean, and grab my towel and keys, and lock my car. Pity I wasn't also aware that it was cold enough to kill me.

 

 

 

 

I had epilepsy as a child and apparently the doctors felt it was related. I do talk in my sleep sometimes, but to my knowledge do not take to night wanderings anymore.

 

Yeah, my research includes the epilepsy angle. I put my other incidents down to fatigue, but this one has me guessing.

[builder]

When I was a kid, too. My older sister reminds me of the time, I kept scratching the floor insisting I was trying to pick up my slippers to put them on when she asked me what the heck I was doing (I was of course still asleep.)

 

I have five sisters, and they all have stories about my somnambulism. They would make conversation, and two of them would practice kissing on me. They said I was not even close to my usual self.

[eddo]

last night I almost sleep puked...

 

bleegh...

[builder]

last night I almost sleep puked...

 

bleegh...

 

Careful eddo. That's what killed people like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bonn Scott, Jim Morrison, the list goes on....

[Chi]

When I was a kid, too. My older sister reminds me of the time, I kept scratching the floor insisting I was trying to pick up my slippers to put them on when she asked me what the heck I was doing (I was of course still asleep.)

 

I have five sisters, and they all have stories about my somnambulism. They would make conversation, and two of them would practice kissing on me. They said I was not even close to my usual self.

 

Some of your sisters practiced kissing on you and while you were asleep? Well that's a little disturbing:p

 

I am glad you are okay and alive to tell your latest adventure of sleepwalking though, Builder.

[emkay64]

I was going to say..yeah...your sisters were strange. I never wanted to kiss my brother. Punch him in the mouth yes...kiss..no lol.

[RegisteredAndEducated]

last night I almost sleep puked...

 

bleegh...

 

I've done that hundreds of times... it's annoying... Waking up, thinking you're about to drown in your own vomit...

 

 

I hate acid reflux...

[eddo]

last night I almost sleep puked...

 

bleegh...

 

I've done that hundreds of times... it's annoying... Waking up, thinking you're about to drown in your own vomit...

 

 

I hate acid reflux...

that's exactly what it was.

 

 

Apparently I shouldn't eat Frito's anymore before bed, lol

[wez]

Damn Builder.. scary.. glad it turned out ok..

 

 

Ya know.. it's weird.. I don't think I've ever heard a "man/women dies or is badly hurt in sleepwalking incident".. but maybe they just don't know that's what happened.. I wonder.

[emkay64]

Somnambulism....now that word is stuck in my brain.

[builder]

 

 

Some of your sisters practiced kissing on you and while you were asleep? Well that's a little disturbing:p

 

I am glad you are okay and alive to tell your latest adventure of sleepwalking though, Builder.

 

The seventies were what we called "liberated" for women, but we were just young kids.

 

It did piss me off when they told me, and that's probably why they did it. They said they were trying to figure out if was acting like I was sleep-walking, so they kissed me. Weirdos. <_<

[builder]

Damn Builder.. scary.. glad it turned out ok..

 

 

Ya know.. it's weird.. I don't think I've ever heard a "man/women dies or is badly hurt in sleepwalking incident".. but maybe they just don't know that's what happened.. I wonder.

 

Actually wez, there are not a few cases of spousal murder blamed on somnambulism. How hard would that be for a judge to make sense of?

[builder]

Somnambulism....now that word is stuck in my brain.

 

Reminds me of a thread I started on GF called Vocabulary Improvements. Before your time emkay, but it wasn't what you'd think. Kinda fun, as I remember.

 

Snafu and RaE might remember it. :lol:

 

Whoops, triple post. Bump.