Sleepwalking ....

[dashcat]

I have a history of sleepwalking ... as did my mom and my sister. I've done all sorts of goofy things in my sleep and, though the bouts are very infrequent, they are usually hilarious and have become family lore.

I have no idea why I do it ..there doesn't seem to be a pattern of any sort. It's probably been 15 or 20 years since my last episode, but I had one last night and it scared the bejabbers out of my poor difficult child.

She heard a knocking sound, opened her bedroom door and found me sitting on the floor in the hallway, calmly (and lightly, Thank GOD!) hitting my head against the wall. Apparently I was also muttering about "magical peas" but she could not get me to go back to bed and I wouldn't wake up. She said she'd heard me walking around before this happened and thought I just couldn't sleep and decided to get up.

She called Mr. Ostrich who (THANK YOU JESUS!) talked her out of calling 911 ("911, What's your emergency?" "My mom is banging her head against the wall and talking about magical peas") OMG. This is a small town. I know many of the first responders. I would have died. Imagine the Police Blotter: XXX Street resident calls to report mother's abberant behavior. Officers and paramedics determined she was sleepwalking and tucked her in tight.

He also (Mr. Ostrich earned some major points last night) refused to come over, even though she begged him to. That would have made me most uncomfortable, although not a much as a 911 call.

THEN, after what she says was an hour ...but putting into the difficult child-to-earth translator, means about 15 minutes, I went into the bathroom, shut the door and got sick to my stomach! What the heck? THAT has never been part of mty sleepwalking routine before.

I have no idea what caused any of this. I never had a fever, felt great yesterday (but lousy today). I did have a cup of soup at Toastmasters ... maybe that's what made me sick, but the rest is just weird.

I have a vague memory of sitting on the floor (I was dreaming I was in a cabin and it was very cold), but all I remember is going into the bathroom and feeling suddenly - out of nowhere - sick. I usually remember sleepwalking episodes a bit more clearly.

To make matters worse, I was still sleeping when she left for work (5:30 a.m.). She texted me several times, but my phone was off (I turned it off at Toastmasters and forgot to turn it back on). Ossy had also called and I didn't think to look at my phone until 2:00. The poor kid was frantic. I was able to calm her down by explaining that it might be another decade before I do it again ... and her dad completely enjoyed telling her about the time I demanded that he get me some ice cream with soup.

Anyway, I still haven't eaten anything and I am just baffled. ... I sure hope I'm right about the infrequency.
Dash

 

[Calamity Jane]

That's pretty crazy, Dash. Is there any correlation between sleepwalking episodes and stress for you? Magical peas, eh? At least you didn't try to drive anywhere. Phew!

 

[dashcat]

I know stress can cause sleep disturbances, but considering my first episode was when I was about six (I stood by my parent's bed and loudly sang an Allen Sherman parody song), I can't believe stress would be the driving force. In real life, I'm pretty darned sane, but I'm a nutcase in my sleep. I've never done anything scary like drive or even go outside.

I am currently on a fairly high dose of prednisone, and that does cause issues with sleep. This is the longest (duration) I've been at this dose in a long time and I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it ...that, and possiblby, the impending stomach flu, food poisioning, or whatever. I begin tapering down by 10 mg (prednisone) tomorrow.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Well, Dash... me coming from extended families with all sorts of REALLY outrageous sleep-walking/talking episodes... you ain't done nothing much.

But I'd be guessing, given the infrequency, that it may well have been a mild case of food poisoining. It can throw your body chemistry out of whack REALLY fast... and food poisioning usually takes about 24 hours for recovery, so that part would also fit...

 

[Hound dog]

easy child used to have the most gawd awful night terrors at age 2-3. (and yes she was totally out of it while screaming like a banshie with her eyes wide open) which rather quickly transformed into sleep walking. She did it so often I had to keep a baby gate at the top of the stairs for years, for fear she'd fall down them in her sleep. She did it for years but eventually seemed to grow out of it..........although I noticed then it seemed she talked like crazy in her sleep, so there ya go. lol So far as I know she's not had an episode as an adult.

 

[AnnieO]

Jett used to sleepwalk - usually to the bathroom, where he would then pee all over the floor. He'd then wash his hands - leave the water running - and go to the kitchen, where he would curl up on the floor and sleep, LOL!

Anyway, he was on prednisone, too, when the worst of it was going on. But the biggest thing was - he was on Concerta, too - and when he crashed from that, he could NOT wake up to go potty. And once he was off it, he still randomly sleepwalks - but only when he is sick...

 

[dashcat]

Oh my, talking about magical peas seems a little tame by comparison! I just googled prednisone and sleepwalking and ....WOW! I guess I'm lucky, given my history, that it hasn't happened more often and that I only behave in a midly demented fashion. I have been on 60mg a day for two weeks, tapering to 50 today. That is a hefty dose. Unfortuantely, you can't just stop prednisone and I have to believe the odds are on my side and that I won't be riding my bike and singing in my sleep .. or I sure hope not.

I'm guessing it was a combo of the steroid dose and food poisoning. I did call the health department today and they are going to check it out.

I slept well (and in one spot) and managed to eat breakfast today ... hope this episode is behind me.

Dash

 

[recoveringenabler]

Dash, when I was reading your post I couldn't help thinking that your difficult child got a dose of what it's like to worry about someone else's behavior. Perhaps it was good for her to feel that so at some point you can mention to her, if it feels right of course, that is how you feel about her behavior, that helplessness, that fear, the not knowing.............all of the worries one goes through when you can't do anything about someones behavior. Sigh. Could be a good thing for her to recognize.

 

[DammitJanet]

Jamie used to sleepwalk and I know he is still a sleep talker. I think he still occasionally sleepwalks too or did once or twice as an adult.

The first time we really noticed it was when he calmly walked into our bedroom and peed into an open drawer..lol.

Then there was the famous..INCOMING! one. It was hilarious.

He had fallen asleep on a pallet on the family room floor...sleeping bag and an air mattress...while watching tv one night. I was sitting in the dining room in the dark on my computer. We have French doors that connect my family room to my living room so you can run in a circle from my family room through the kitchen to the living room and back to the family room.

All of a sudden as Im sitting there at the computer I hear Jamie jump up screaming "Incoming, run for cover, their coming, Duck, take aim!" And he is weaving and dodging and running in circles through that family room, kitchen, living room, french door circle. He did it about 4 times while screaming about incoming...then calmly said...all gone and went back and laid back down. I just looked at him and laughed. The next morning he didnt remember a thing.