Sarah's Night Adventures

I was reading Bek's blog about her sleeptalking and since I do the same, I thought I'd blog about the many random occurrences over the years. They are quite funny and I don't remember much so I'm going on what others have told me.

My sleepwalking and sleeptalking misadventures began probably in the latter years of primary school. The first incident was when I was about 11 or 12 and my parents said they heard a big thump and came into my room. When they switched on the light, there I was standing next to my bed and staring at it like I was in a trance. The mattress was half on the bed, half on the floor and the sheets and blankets were in a tangled mess.

Mum: Sarah, what on earth are you doing?
Me: I was trying to turn the mattress around.

Goodness knows what for?!?

A few months later, my dad woke up in the middle of the night and saw the bathroom light had been switched on. When he investigated, he found me standing in the bathroom, staring at the light switch.

Dad: Sarah, what are you doing in here?
Me: I can't tell you, it's a secret.

Dad took me back to bed, being careful not to wake me up. Once I was back in bed, he asked me again.

Dad: What were you doing in the bathroom?
Me: Ummm, I was looking for Tim.

Tim is my brother, as some of you will know. Dunno why I was looking for him in the middle of the night, let alone in the bathroom! haha.

There were many other incidents over the years of me yelling, shouting, screaming and talking in my sleep. Sometimes I was having arguments with people or I'd sound convincingly like I was awake and having a normal conversation. Apparently once at a sleepover, I sat up and asked "Is it six o'clock yet?" to which my friend answered, "No." Then I replied "Good." She thought I was awake but I can't remember it so I must have been asleep and fooled her.

Poor Emma copped it during our three years of being housemates. Once she recalled I let out a bloodcurling scream one night which nearly gave her a heart attack. When she came into my room, I was sleeping peacefully.

Emma: Sarah, are you okay?
Me: Mmmmmm
Emma: What were you screaming about?
Me: A lion was eating my leg.

Emma told me she had thought to herself, Oh, is that all and went back to bed. She ended up coming to my doorway on numerous occasions. Once she found me wandering in the dining room and had to quietly lead me back to my bed. Another time I had screamed and she come into my room and I was lying on my bed, face down with my arm twisted under me in a weird position.

Me: Get it off, get it off.
Emma: Get what off?
Me: There's a rat crawling up my arm.

Emma had to reassure me there was no rat and I woke myself up in shock but was relieved to find that she was telling the truth. Apparently I was lying in such a weird position that it was causing the sensation of something crawling up my arm.

Then another night, Emma woke up to the sound of banging and she came into my room to find me standing on my bed and banging on the window and walls. I was freaked out because I thought the door had disappeared and I was trapped (the door was across the other side of the room).

There was a funny episode when I was staying at home in Albany after I had my wisdom teeth out. My parents woke up to a bloodcurdling scream and me racing around in the passage.

Dad: What's going on?
Me: There's a snake in my bed. It was an anaconda and it was slithering all over me.
Dad: There's no snake. Go back to bed. (He said he was a bit bewildered and annoyed).
Me: Go and check.
So my dad went and checked because I kept refusing to go back to bed.
Dad: There's no snake.
I accepted that and went back to bed.

I can blame the painkillers for that one ;)

Aimee was quickly baptised into my night adventures when she moved in. She'd only moved in a few days before when I screamed again. Being a light-sleeper she was quickly roused but wasn't yet used to her new room so she blundered around in the dark, totally freaked out, trying to find the door. When she got to my room, I was soundly asleep.

Well, at least I'm not violent in my sleep like some people I know of or sleepwalk long distances. My mum was telling me years ago that she was talking to the mum of a guy I went to school with and she was saying that her son sleepwalked out of the house and headed off down the street. His dad got up to make himself a cup of tea and was shocked to see his son returning. When he asked him where he'd been, the son replied, "I was going to visit Grandma." Then he went back to bed.

This was in Albany. I hope his grandma didn't live in Perth or somewhere far. He must've changed his mind because otherwise it would have been a long walk!

The best thing to do for someone who is sleepwalking is not to wake them. Otherwise they'll get freaked out and not know where they are. Just gently guide them back to bed.

Poor Duncan....;)