Ever had a pillow go missing? Or a blanket in some other room and a sibling swearing they had nothing to do with it? You may be a victim of sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is a disorder that causes a person walk in their sleep. The sleepwalker often can’t remember the event, and sometimes, the sleepwalker is also a sleep talker. That means you could be stealing your own pillow and not even remembering it, or your sibling may be the sleepwalker.

One good thing about the disorder is that it does tend to taper off after the age of eight, but adults can do it too (Blahd). Here are some signs to look for to tell if someone is really a sleepwalker, but it’s important to understand that not everyone sleep walks the same.

1. Randomly roaming around a room.
2. Trying to ‘escape’, sometimes this is paired with running.
3. Eyes are typically open but have a glazed distant look.
4. Responses are slow or not at all.
5. If the sleepwalker is not woken up during an event, the odds of them remembering are very slim (Blahd).

What are the odds that you’re a sleepwalker though? Pretty good if you’re a twin. You’re ten times more likely to sleepwalk if you have a close relative like a parent or sibling who sleep walks than if you lived in a family with no sleepwalkers (Blahd).

Your odds of sleepwalking can increase if you are sleep deprived, have a chaotic sleep schedule, are stressed, drunk, or are taking drugs (sedatives, neuroleptics, stimulants, and antihistamines). There are also several medical conditions that have been linked to sleepwalking. These include heart rhythm problems, a fever, heartburn, nighttime asthma, nighttime seizure, obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and different psychiatric disorders (Blahd).

Now that you know a bit more about sleepwalking, you may be able to solve the case of the missing pillow. A good night camera could come in handy for catching the thief. Just don’t be surprised if it’s Fido who’s been sneaking off with your pillow all along!

Sweet dreams!

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Sources:

Blahd, William. “Sleep Disorders: Sleepwalking Basics.” WebMD. October 2016, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleepwalking-causes. Accessed 20 March 2018.