Sleep is usually a sedentary activity. After we go to bed, most of us do not feel the need to lock all the doors and hide our keys. The refrigerator is also usually not locked, and sharp objects are not put in a safe place. However, for the 1% of adults with sleepwalking, this is a daily ritual, as things that happen after falling asleep can be quite strange. Despite the fact that most sleepwalkers just wander aimlessly around the house, embarrassing their household, and then go back to bed, some of them do behave in an unusual way.
10. Have sex
People suffering from sexomnia (from the English "sex" and "parasomnia") are sexually active without interrupting their sleep. Unconsciously, they masturbate or start making love with a partner, and when they wake up in the morning, they don't remember anything. Men are more likely to suffer from this disorder than women.
Sexomnia can be dangerous both for the lunatic himself and for those around him, since in a situation where a person is in such a state, there is no concept of consent for him. In 2007, a jury dropped the rape charges against an aircraft mechanic who worked for the Royal Air Force, due to the fact that he suffered from sexual intercourse. Kenneth Ekott climbed naked on a girl who was lying unconscious after a stormy party. The judges took into account the fact that due to his illness, Kenneth was "on autopilot" and did not control himself during the rape.
Sometimes those accused of rape use sexomnia as an excuse for their crime in the hope of a mitigation of the sentence, but practice shows that the court carefully examines all the facts of mental disorders, and without documentary evidence of the illness, the judges are unlikely to issue an acquittal.
9. Drive a car
Sleeping drivers travel astonishing distances in their condition. It is not known for certain how often this problem occurs, and how many accidents it entailed: even though the sleeping people cope with mechanical tasks - they open the car, start the engine - it is at least difficult to navigate in space in a dream with closed eyes.
Of course, a sleepwalker who has drunk before going to bed can also get behind the wheel. In 2012, British resident Becky Mason invited friends over and drank a couple of glasses of wine before bed, then got into the car and drove to the office - right in her pajamas. The dismayed security guard reminded the girl that today is Saturday, and she should come to work on Monday. Becky wanted to go home, but very soon she crashed into a lamppost. The level of alcohol found in her blood was three times the legal limit. In court, the guard was the most important witness, proof of her innocence. Mason was acquitted of drunk driving due to the fact that she did it in her sleep. After this incident, Becky gives the car keys to her roommates every night. Just in case.
8. Kill
In 2009, a unique case occurred in Wales: Brian Thomas was acquitted of the murder of his own wife after strangling her while asleep. For 50 years, Thomas suffered from nightmares that haunted him at night. He usually slept separately from his wife in another room, but they went on a trip in a campervan, in which they slept together on the same bed. Brian was on antidepressants that helped ease his symptoms, but during the trip he stopped taking them because the medication lowered his libido. Brian and his wife had a pleasant evening, slightly overshadowed by the young guys who made noisy races near their van. Soon after the couple fell asleep, Thomas had another nightmare in which the same guys broke into their van, and he had to protect his wife from attack. In fact, it turned out that he was choking her. After a while, he called an ambulance, confusingly explaining the situation over the phone.
History counts dozens of cases of murders committed by sleepwalkers, often men, but the victims are usually not their companions. In 1845, Albert Tyrrell became the first person in the United States to be acquitted of sleepwalking. Albert killed the prostitute and set fire to the brothel in which they slept.
One of the most controversial cases of murder justification by sleepwalking was recorded in 1987, when Kenneth Parks, having overcome 20 kilometers from home, arrived at the house of his wife's parents, where he beat his mother-in-law to death and tried to strangle his father-in-law. After that, he got into the car and went to the police with a confession. The case sparked a public controversy because Parks suffered from gambling addiction, which caused him financial difficulties, having recently lost his job. Further investigation revealed that Kenneth's sleep was indeed severely disturbed. It was the stress caused by his gambling addiction, in combination with sleep disturbances, that entailed such tragic consequences.
7. Undress
Finding yourself naked in front of a large public is a common disturbing dream for many, and for some lunatics it becomes a reality. Lately, this has happened so often that the management of one of the largest hotel chains trains its staff on how to act when a naked sleepwalker is found walking along the corridors.
Most often, the problem occurs among the male half of the population, at least in hotels, when some guests at the reception check out, give the keys, or embarrassed visitors in smart suits came to please the birthday man with a morning call with congratulations. Now employees keep towels with them to cover the nakedness of the poor fellows in case of anything and a universal key to take them back to their room.
It is generally accepted that stress significantly increases the risk of developing sleepwalking, and alcohol and unfamiliar surroundings are its catalysts.
6. Talk
Most of us have mumbled something in our sleep at least once in our lives, but some people are able to carry on full-fledged dialogues with us. The content of these dialogues will seem complete nonsense for those who are awake, but for a sleepwalker, everything is logical. Talking in a dream will not seriously harm the health or safety of others, but it can lead to some inconvenience for the speaker himself. The problem of speaking in a dream is aggravated by lack of sleep, experienced stress, alcohol or drug use.
Scientists have found that sleepy conversations mostly consist of negative connotations such as "no" and various curses. Despite what the films give us an idea of this, sleepers are not very inclined to give away all their innermost secrets. There is not a single proof that something that a person is talking about in a dream coincides with reality.
5. Be creative
Perhaps being in an unconscious state provokes the development of creative abilities. In 2015, a video was leaked on the Internet showing a thirteen-year-old girl playing the piano. Despite the fact that she slept snoring and leaned her head against the instrument, she managed to play the melody.
Sleep sufferers have also been seen in the visual arts. Lee Hadwin has built his career selling pictures that he paints in his dreams.He says that he cannot draw while he is conscious, and in the middle of the night he can get up and create a work of art, without even remembering the process the next morning. Although critics are divided over whether this can be considered art or just scribbles, Lee is successfully selling his work. One of its most famous buyers is Donald Trump.
Most art historians are still of the opinion that the artist should be conscious, but practice shows that the brain is able to show some creative activity, even when its owner is asleep.
4. Live in a dream
It is known that sleep has several phases. When REM sleep comes, the main muscle groups in our body are in a state of absolute rest, they are paralyzed, as the brain disconnects with them. Only the muscles of the eyes and diaphragm are not relaxed, which allows us to breathe. REM sleep lasts about 90 minutes, so this phase repeats several times during the night.
The muscles of people with REM sleep disorders are not relaxed enough and they repeat their actions during sleep. They fight, laugh or, for example, pack imaginary suitcases. Sometimes sleepwalkers get out of bed and start running around the house. Since the only reality that exists for a sleeping person is the dream that he sees, the sufferer may hurt himself and not feel. It works like the Matrix in reverse.
3. Commit an armed robbery
In 2007, Maria Hudson fell asleep in front of the TV, then put on rubber kitchen gloves and pulled tights over her head. Ten minutes later, she came to a small shop, pulled out a huge kitchen knife and demanded money. She screamed "Pass your money!" in a tone similar to the tone from the movie she watched before going to bed. She only woke up when the police disarmed her and handcuffed her. Maria did not remember anything. Experts speculated that her behavior was caused by epilepsy. Hudson was acquitted.
2. Yes
People with an eating disorder associated with sleep often have a normal diet in their daily lives. Sufferers of this type of disorder take on foods high in sugar at night, such as peanut butter or syrup, and shove the food into themselves very quickly. Sometimes they start cooking, which can lead to burns or cuts.
Despite the fact that the eaters appear to be awake, they are unlikely to be aware of what food they are eating. Therefore, unplanned night meals can be detrimental to your health. One of the most obvious consequences is gaining excess weight. Some, in an effort to escape the night of overeating, do not buy high-calorie foods, but instead they can eat other, more dangerous foods: bacon peels, paper, or even bleach.
It seems that filling the refrigerator with chocolate isn't such a bad idea.
1. Get on the crane
One night in 2005 in London, a casual passer-by noticed a young girl on top of a 40-meter crane. Thinking that he was facing a suicide attempt, he called emergency services. Only when the fireman crawled towards her did it become clear that she was asleep. Rescuers were worried that they would wake her up in an attempt to rescue her. They managed to get in touch with her parents to call her and calmly awaken her, while downstairs the squad prepared to catch her in case of a fall. Despite the fact that the girl managed to easily climb onto the crane in her sleep, it took a firefighter squad a hydraulic lift and two and a half hours to lower her to the ground.
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