The Worst Situations for a Sleepwalker to Wake Up In

I have suffered from somnambulism which is a fancy word for sleepwalking since I was a child. This syndrome has caused me to wake up in situations that were sometimes frightening, occasionally gross and almost always hilarious (at least when I look back on it later.)

I am not alone in this situation. Estimates vary but approximately 3% to 15% of the population suffers from sleepwalking or one of the many variants tied to it. A little bit of research showed me that the situations I have found myself in after a sleepwalking episode pale in comparison to the worst things people have experienced.

Based on research concerning sleepwalking I have compiled a list of the top five worst situations for a sleepwalker to wake up in.

1. Covered in blood while holding a murder weapon. This has reportedly happened to two men, both of whom used sleepwalking as a defense for murder. Both were acquitted based on testimony from experts of the day concerning sleepwalkers often violent reactions after they have been woken up. Both of the men had long personal and family histories of sleepwalking.

2. In bed with a stranger. Some sleepwalkers claim to have experienced sexsomnia which is to have sex while sleeping. These sleepwalkers had sex with strangers who stated that they did not know the person was asleep. Sexsomnia has also been used successfully as a defense for rape. Several males were acquitted of rape after convincing juries that their actions occurred in their sleep.

3. Headed Down the Highway. There have been many noted cases of sleepwalkers doing things as dangerous as driving while asleep.

4. Nocturnal sleep eating is when a person sleepwalks and then eats while still sleeping. For some this causes unexpected weight gain. For others, like me, who do not have a weight issue they do not figure it out until they wake up choking on rancid milk while sitting on the kitchen floor (I knew I should have thrown that out earlier that day).

5. In a Foreign Country. Several sleepwalkers claim that this has happened to them. They woke up surrounded by people speaking a foreign language they did not understand. It took them ages to figure out where they were, let alone how to get home and all this was accomplished in their pajamas.

I now realize that I am very lucky that waking up in my neighbor's living room was the worst thing that happened to me. For once I am happy that my attention deficit disorder makes it difficult for me to find my keys while awake since that is probably the only thing that stops me from sleep driving.