SHAYNA: SLEEPWALKING IS OFTEN A SOURCE OF COMEDY AND FILMS.
IN TRUTH, IT IS NO LAUGHING MATTER.
ANTHONY: SLEEPWALKING CAN HAVE DIRE CONSEQUENCES THAT HAVE BAFFLED THIS BRIDGEWATER RESIDENT FOR A LONG TIME.
DEB PRESCOTT HAS SCHEDULED WITH SLEEPWALKING FOR YEARS.
DEB: IT HAS BEEN SO FRUSTRATING.
I HAVE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY I AM WAKING UP, WHAT WAKES ME UP.
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSES IT.
ANTHONY: NOT ONLY IS SHE SLEEPWALKING, SHE IS SLEEP EATING.
DEB: DURING THE DAY, I EAT ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, AND THE MINUTE I FALL ASLEEP, ALL BETS ARE OFF.
ANTHONY: SHE STARTED HER SEARCH FOR HELP WITH HER PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR WHO GAVE SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS.
DEB: SLEEPING PILLS.
THAT DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE AN IMPACT.
I TRIED BENADRYL, AND IT MADE ME FEEL HUNG OVER IN THE MORNING.
SHE TRIED WALKING MY FRIDGE.
SEE IF YOUR HUSBAND CAN STOP YOU FROM DOING IT.
YOU KNOW, HE TELLS ME HE TRIED THAT WHEN WE FIRST GOT MARRIED, AND HE SAID THIS LINDA BLAIR -LIKE VOICE CAME OUT OF ME AND HE’S NOT GOING TO TRY AGAIN.
ANTHONY: A STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL UROLOGY FOUND MORE THAN 8 MILLION AMERICANS SLEEPWALK EACH YEAR.
SOME PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGER, LIKE THIS WOMAN WHO FELL INTO THE DAVIS SQUARE TRACKS.
THIS WOMAN FROM DENVER WALKED NINE MILES IN HER SLEEP.
DEB: >> SLEEPWALKING IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE DEEPEST STAGES OF NON-REM SLEEP.
IT IS OUR DEEPEST SLEEP AND YET SOMEHOW WE BECOME AROUSED ENOUGH IN PART OF OUR BRAIN THAT WE CAN GET UP AND MOVE AROUND.
ANTHONY: ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION, SLEEPWALKING APPEARS TO RUN IN FAMILIES.
THAT MAKES SENSE TO PRESCOTT, WHOSE FATHER WAS A SLEEPWALKER.
DEB: HE WOULD GET UP EVERY NIGHT AND PROBABLY POLISH OFF HALF A POUND OF CHEESE.
I REMEMBER SEEING HIM DOWN IN THE KITCHEN, AND I WOULD SEE MY BROTHER IN THE KITCHEN.
IT WAS NOT JUST ME.
IT WAS PRETTY MUCH MOST OF MY FAMILY.
ANTHONY: RESEARCHERS KNOW THAT SLEEP DEPRIVATION, ILLNESS, MEDICATIONS LIKE SLEEPING PILLS, AND ALCOHOL CAN TRIGGER SLEEPWALKING.
BUT ITS CAUSE REMAINS UNKNOWN.
>> I DON’T THINK WE HAVE A CLUE AS TO THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT LEAD TO SLEEPWALKING.
IT IS LIKE PART OF O BRAIN IS AWAKE WHILE THE REST IS ASLEEP.
ANTHONY: WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT FRUSTRATES PRESCOTT, WHO HAS ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE LOSING WEIGHT.
DEB: YOU DO THE BEST YOU CAN, THEN YOU JUST BLOW IT ALL WHEN YOU GET UP.
I WILL WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND FIND A WHOLE SLEEP OF COOKIES GONE.
I WOULD NEVER DO THAT AWAIT.
I.E. TO THINGS I WOULD NEVER EAT.
IT IS REALLY THE ONLY TIME I WILL HAVE A GLASS OF MILK, SO I WILL SEE A GLASS OF MILK IN THE SINK, THE DISHWASHER, AND SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE WHERE IT WAS, OR THERE ARE CRUMBS ON THE
COUNTER.
IF SOMETHING IS IN THE SPECIAL PLACE, I DO NOT TOUCH IT.
IT MAY ALL BE IN MY HEAD.
WHO KNOWS?
I THINK I AM JUST RESIGNING TO THE FACT THAT I AM GOING TO GET UP AND IF I CANNOT HAVE THE BAD STUFF IN THE HOUSE AND MAKE SOMEWHAT HEALTHIER CHOICES, I STILL DO NOT FEEL GREAT IN THE
MORNING, BUT AT LEAST I AM NOT BEING REALLY BAD.
SHAYNA: THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION SAYS MOSTLY WALKING OCCURS IN CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF THREE AND SEVEN.
ANTHONY: AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE CHILDREN OUTGROW SLEEPWALKING.
AS FOR ADULTS, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT IS DANGEROUS TO WAIT A SLEEPWALKER, BUT IT’S THE OPPOSITE.
IT IS MORE DANGEROUS NOT TO WAKE THEM UP AS WE SAW FROM THE WOMAN WHO FELL ONTO THE TRACKS.
TO WAKE THEM AND GET THEM TO A SAFE PLACE.
SHAYNA: WHY DO WE DREAM?
THAT QUESTION, NEXT.
ANTHONY: FREUD’S THEORY.
>> DREAMS ARE ALL ABOUT FOOD AND DESIRE