Unveiling the Unusual: A Study on Sleep Disturbances, from Sleepwalking to Sleep-Driving

The Strange Behaviors We Accidentally Do While Sleeping

The strange behaviors we accidentally do while sleeping aren’t just limited to walking and talking.

New Study on Sleep Disturbances

A new study collected 10 different types of “sleep disturbances”, which include talking, walking, moving hands, laughing or crying, and aggressive movements such as hitting and kicking. But researchers say more unusual activities during sleep include eating, handling sharp objects, having sex and even driving. The new study was led by researchers at Semmelweis University in Budapest, and published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.

Sleep Disorders and Behaviors

The first author, Vivian Correa, said: “Sitting, getting out of bed, and walking around are typical of what are called sleep disorders, which mostly occur in the deep sleep stage of the sleep cycle. This may be associated with some “often handling sharp objects, leaving the house, or driving. The person may eat while half asleep or even have sex.”

Key Findings of the Study

Acts of violence and even sleep-killing have been described previously in academic literature, and although relatively rare, they are also relevant to accountability. The researchers looked at various terms related to unintentional sleep activities on YouTube between January and July 2022. After obtaining 758 initial results, they selected 224 videos of people engaging in unintentional sleep activities – 68 children, 40 elderly people and 116 young adults. Overall, the top three behaviors were sleep talking (either complete sentences or babbling), emotional behaviors such as crying, laughing, sleepwalking, and random hand movements.

Age and Sex-Related Risk Factors

Analysis of the people in the videos also showed that older people had much lower odds of sleepwalking than adults and children. But elderly males were 40 times more likely than adults and children to perform aggressive movements in bed. Older adults showed emotional behaviors such as crying less than adults. Risky behaviors, such as leaving the house or driving while asleep, were significantly lower among older adults.

Implications and Future Research

The researchers hope their findings will raise awareness of age- and sex-related risk factors. Although they acknowledge the limitations of simply studying YouTube videos, with no demographic or historical data, they are turning to more comprehensive methods for future studies.

Conclusion

Source: Daily Mail

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