How to stop sleepwalking? (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

Is there anyway to nip this dangerous habit in the bud? I left the light on last night, to keep an eye out for any more spiders that might be lurking around, since I had just killed one earlier that day near my bed.

I must have fallen asleep during that time, decided to get up during the night, and turned it off, because an hour later, I saw that the light was off when I woke up again.

That wouldn't have bothered me, except for the fact that I must also have moved the dogs bed for some reason, in between getting up, and going back, because it's now near the closet, whereas before, it was at the foot of my bed.

Is there anyway to stop sleepwalking? I was afraid that I migiht have stepped on the poor dog or something, but he seems fine this morning.

I was thinking about putting a shoe or something next to my bed, hoping that would trip me and wake me up if I ever did it again, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea...

Thanks!

 

[Anders Englund]

Thumbtacks
--Anders

 

[Malcolm R]

Perhaps you weren't sleepwalking...perhaps you just have really BIG spiders who can't sleep with the lights on!

 

[Jay H]

Maybe if you didn't kill the spider, the gods would let you sleep?
Spiders are your friend.... Spiders are good!
Jay

 

[teapot2001]

Put something along the floor near the bed that it would make a sound when you step on it.

I've sleptwalked once, and I almost walked out of my house.

~T

 

[DeathStar1]

>>I've sleptwalked once, and I almost walked out of my house.>>

One of the reasons I asked, is because of a situation as similar, although a bit more dangerous. I was told that on one of our anual Floridian trips to see relatives, I had gotten up on the Amtrack Train trip, and managed to walk about 7 cars over. And in order to do that, you had to press a button on a door, and walk through the innards of the car transfer area.

That got me a bit spooked. Even stranger, is when I was down the JErsey Shore a month ago. I remember most of my dreams, and nightmares. I remember getting up, and walking to a house across the street with a big crowd of people, saying something, saying sorry, and then going back. I take the dog for his morning walk at 6 AM, noticed the area where I had dreamt of going, and there was this BIG party of people gathered on the front porch.

I REALLY hope that I didn't walk over there, because who knows what I might have said. Sometimes I'll dream about things I've seen on TV, or the movies, or even heard in a song, so any number of things could have come out of my mouth.. Strange thing is, the doors downstairs where still locked up tight, so I don't know if I would have been able to unlock, and relock them as I went.

 

[Ted Lee]

i was going to say something like tie your arm to the bedpost, but heck...
if you can manouver through train-cars while pushing buttons, unlock and relock doors and have conversations with your neighbors, what's so hard about untying a knot?
try this link as a starting point:
http://www.yourhealth.com/ahl/2405.html

 

[Zen Butler]

Neil I have been sleepwalking most of my life. I have yet to be injured or a danger to anyone. It is normally not dangerous, but if you feel otherwise, you need to talk to your doctor.

 

[teapot2001]

That got me a bit spooked. Even stranger, is when I was down the JErsey Shore a month ago. I remember most of my dreams, and nightmares. I remember getting up, and walking to a house across the street with a big crowd of people, saying something, saying sorry, and then going back. I take the dog for his morning walk at 6 AM, noticed the area where I had dreamt of going, and there was this BIG party of people gathered on the front porch.

When I sleptwalked, I could actually see what I was doing. I walked to the front door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't, so I kept banging on the door. When I woke up in the morning, I thought it was just a dream. Then later that day, my mother asked me why I was banging on the door and told me that my father had to bring me back to my bed. The reason the door didn't open was because it was my job at night to put nails inbetween the door and doorway to prevent someone from unlocking the door through the glass window. Sometimes I would forget to do this, but, fortunately, I didn't that night.

~T

 

[DeathStar1]

>
if you can manouver through train-cars while pushing buttons, unlock and relock doors and have conversations with your neighbors, what's so hard about untying a knot?
>

The train walking has been confirmed by the parental units, since a train worker actually had to bring me back to my seat. How they did that without knowing where I Started from, I don't know, but they did.

The Neighbor talking may have been just a dream, but it's too strange a coincidence to dream about walking near a party, and then seeing a party, at 6AM no less, going on across the street. I was home by myself that time, so no one can confirm that one for me...

 

[Ryan Wright]

I used to sleepwalk when I was a child. My parents once woke up to the noise of the front door closing. They came out to find me walking down the street in my PJs. I had unlocked the front door, including an odd type of lock (like a small deadbolt, only different) that was higher up on the door. Who knows where I was going; I don't even remember it.
Also, I apparently took a leak in their closet one night when I was 6 or 7 years old.
Thankfully, no sleepwalking for me since childhood. But if I did, I know how I'd fix it:
Buy one or more motion sensors:
http://www.smarthome.com/4086.html
One receiver:
http://www.smarthome.com/4005.html
One noise-maker:
http://www.smarthome.com/2045.html or
http://www.smarthome.com/4060.html
And one or more lamp/lighting modules:
http://www.smarthome.com/x10wallsw.html or
http://www.smarthome.com/x10plugins.html
Pricing: $50-$100 for everything
Wire up (or plug in) the lamp modules to the light you wish to control. Put the chime module (noise-maker) somewhere where you'll hear it. Then stick one or more motion sensors in an appropriate place. Tripping the sensor will turn on the chime module and the lights, which should wake you up. If not, use an appliance module to flip on a stereo that has it's volume turned all the way up, for instance. Try setting the motion sensors just outside of your bedroom, so that you don't set them off while you're in bed or if you get up to use the bathroom. This can make sure you stay confined to your house, where you belong when you're half naked and asleep.

 

[NickSo]

I saw on TV there was this one guy who sleepwalked to his car, the drove across the city on highways to his like inlaw's place, and murdered them. Then he drove back home.

 

[Janna S]

I have been a sleepwalker many times in my life, usually during periods of great stress. I have injured myself during sleepwalking episodes. For example, one morning I woke up and found my foot wrapped with a bloody dishtowel secured by masking tape. My boyfriend and I followed the bloody footprint through the kitchen, down the hallway, up the stairs, and outside to the parking lot, and figured out that I'd gone outside and ran into a parking barricade, tearing up several toes. (This was while I was studying for the bar exam and he was heading into a full blown psychiatric crisis which resulted in his suicide a few weeks later. Stress? Yes!)

Earlier, when I was in law school, I went through another bad sleepwalking spell. I frequently woke up in the morning up fully dressed, or I'd find my books stacked up in front of the bedroom door, or find other things in the room disturbed. After weeks of this, I changed the environment in the room - rearranged the furniture, got new blankets and pillows, and tried to make other changes to change the pattern. That night I carefully looked around the room, looked at where everything was, noted my sleepwear, and tried to "zen" myself into a restful sleep pattern.

Upon waking the next morning, I was pleased to see that the room looked the same, I was in the same sleepwear, and everything seemed fine. However, when I went into my adjacent bathroom, I found all the wastebaskets from the rooms in that wing of the house stacked one on top of the other inside the shower.

I still go through sleepwalking episodes, though none as bad as those. Usually I have to reduce the underlying stress to have any impact on my sleep patterns.

 

[teapot2001]

The problem with the motion sensors is that Neil has a dog.

~T

 

[Ryan Wright]

So place them above dog height. You can use masking tape on the front of the sensor eye to "focus" it in one area.

I saw on TV there was this one guy who sleepwalked to his car, the drove across the city on highways to his like inlaw's place, and murdered them. Then he drove back home.

Uh, he wasn't sleepwalking. That's just his lawyer's spin on the issue, trying to get a murderer off the hook. "Oh, your honor, he was sleepwalking. He didn't mean to murder them. Let him go, so he can do it again."