10 Bizarre Things That People Have Done While Sleeping

Human beings spend around a third of their lives asleep. Although it might seem like a massive waste of time, it is an essential part of being a healthy and functioning person. That isn’t to say that people don’t do things while they are asleep. While the vast majority of those who go to bed at night will wake up the next day having only had a dream or two, others have done weird and bizarre things. This is usually the result of sleepwalking and it can let people do some crazy things without even realizing.

Drink And Drive

There has been a large number of people in the USA who have taken the sleeping pill Ambien and then allegedly gone on to sleepwalk. These cases usually involve the person drinking alcohol and then driving their cars with a high degree of impairment, often driving on the wrong side of the road and causing collisions without any knowledge of the events.

Get Divorced

A Muslim couple were ordered to separate after the husband uttered the word “talaq” three times during his sleep. The two Indian residents had apparently argued the night before the incident but were unwilling to divorce as they were happily married and had three children. Religious leaders argued that saying talaq, which means divorce, was grounds enough to order the separation.

Climb A Crane

After police in England were called out to an emergency where a young girl was seen climbing a 130 foot high crane, they naturally assumed that it was likely a suicide attempt. However, when they arrived and investigated they found that the 15-year-old was actually sleeping and was not aware that she had climbed up the structure. Firefighters were eventually able to wake her up and safely transport her back to the ground using a hydraulic lift.

Organize A Party

In 2008, a woman from Ohio got up in the middle of the night and logged onto her computer. Although she was still sleeping, she was able to turn on the device, connect to the internet and then log in to her email account. The woman then sent out a series of emails to her friends, one of which invited them to a party she hadn’t actually organized. It said: “Come tomorrow and sort this hell hole out. Dinner and drinks, 4.pm. Bring wine and caviar only.”

Eat

The problem of eating while asleep is so common that it has its own diagnosis. Known as Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder, the condition forces sleeping people to get up in the middle of the night and binge on food. Those suffering from NS-RED will not realize what they have done when they wake up in the morning and will generally consume large meals or unusual snacks.

Jump Out Of A Window

There have been several cases of sleepwalkers throwing themselves out of windows. Probably the most famous case was that of a German teenager who fell from a fourth story window in 2007. People who rushed to his help after seeing the 17-year-old fall found that he was peacefully sleeping on the floor despite the fact he had broken both his arm and his leg.

Have Sex

An Australian couple sought medical help in 2004 when it emerged that the wife had been getting up in the middle of the night to have sex with strangers. The husband had even witnessed his partner having sex with another man while asleep. Doctors diagnosed her with an REM disorder that meant that she would act out her dreams, requiring extensive treatment to stop the midnight encounters.

Discuss Their Dreams

Although many people will talk in their sleep, it will usually only occur for a few minutes at most and will often just be gibberish. However, songwriter Dion McGregor would talk almost every time he was asleep for hours on end, describing in detail his dreams as they happened. His roommate eventually began to record the audio while he slept and released the recordings as an album called The Dream World of Dion McGregor.

Create Works Of Art

Lee Hadwin is a nurse from the United Kingdom who draws complex pieces of art while asleep. The man has said that he has no interest in art and is unable to draw with any degree of skill while awake. Yet when he is sleeping, he can spend up to 30 minutes sketching on large sheets of paper, creating work that is of a high standard.

Murder Someone

The ability for sleepwalkers to kill others is well documented in law. Officially known as homicidal somnambulism, it is incredibly rare but there have been several instances over the world in the past few decades. They will usually involve them killing someone who is close by, possibly even complete strangers, for no obvious reason and using weapons that have been found close at hand. Those who have killed while sleepwalking are usually found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.