Sleepwalking: A medical mystery with legs

Walk this way Welcome to day three of Sleep Week! In case you were dozing, here’s [sleep deprivation]( and [mattresses]( from earlier this week. Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is a [parasomnia](—a “disruptive sleep-related disorder,” according to the [Cleveland Clinic](. A person who sleepwalks might get up while in a state of sleep and engage in normal activities, like walking, eating, or getting dressed, but not remember any of it in the morning. Most episodes are short and [harmless](, but in some cases sleepwalkers can hurt themselves (by falling down the stairs, for example) or others (more on that below). The medical community knows what sleepwalking is—they’re just not sure why it happens or what to do about it. Are you all tucked in? We’re going on a (sleep)walk. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Sleepwalking June 30, 2021 Walk this way --------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to day three of Sleep Week! In case you were dozing, here’s [sleep deprivation]( and [mattresses]( from earlier this week. Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is a [parasomnia](—a “disruptive sleep-related disorder,” according to the [Cleveland Clinic](. A person who sleepwalks might get up while in a state of sleep and engage in normal activities, like walking, eating, or getting dressed, but not remember any of it in the morning. Most episodes are short and [harmless](, but in some cases sleepwalkers can hurt themselves (by falling down the stairs, for example) or others (more on that below). The medical community knows what sleepwalking is—they’re just not sure why it happens or what to do about it. Are you all tucked in? We’re going on a (sleep)walk. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [1.5%:]( Share of adults who had a sleepwalking incident in the previous 12 months, according to a 2016 meta-analysis [5%:]( Share of children who had a sleepwalking incident in the same time period [20%:]( Share of children who will sleepwalk at least once [>10 minutes:]( Length of most sleepwalking episodes [6-9:]( Recommended hours of sleep per night for adults [1/3:]( Share of our lives that we spend asleep Explain it like I’m 5! Why do we do it? --------------------------------------------------------------- Understanding sleepwalking requires understanding sleep and its stages: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Non-REM sleep happens in the first 1-3 hours of sleep and is less deep than REM sleep. Sleepwalking typically happens during the third stage of non-REM sleep, when “delta brain activity increases and a person may have some body movements,” according to the [University of Michigan](. That’s the when. Why, though, do people sleepwalk? [Writing for Vice](, Jak Hutchcraft explains that “Throughout history, the mysteries of somnambulance have led many to come up with their own theories—drawing on spirituality, pseudo-science, and folklore—with sleepwalkers seeming to exist somewhere between this world and another.” Scientists don’t really know why sleepwalking happens but they know some of its possible triggers and risk factors. According to England’s [National Health Service]( (NHS), these include: 💤 Not getting enough sleep 😰 Being stressed and anxious 🍷 Drinking too much alcohol 💊 Taking recreational drugs 🤒 Having a fever, especially in children 🦵 Other sleep disorders like restless legs syndrome Research also shows that [somnambulism runs in families]( and may be partly genetic. Illustration by Hoi Chan Membership Help me sleep! --------------------------------------------------------------- Among the multitude of factors that have been blamed for our inability to sleep are stress, anxiety, caffeine, the news, alcohol, social media, working too much, not having work to do, and blue light—all of which are, arguably, artifacts of our productivity-obsessed culture. Sleeplessness was already at what the World Health Organization called “epidemic” levels even before Covid-19, but the pandemic has made those feelings more widespread and intense, which can lead to a condition some health experts have termed “coronasomnia.” Therapy and medication are the gold standard of treatment for sleeplessness. But in recent years, there’s been an explosion of gadgets and apps promising better sleep through technology. Our [field guide]( this week looks at the innovations that claim to track and induce better sleep. Want 40% off a Quartz membership? You’re not dreaming—just use code SLEEPWEEK when you click the link below. [Rest easy with a Quartz membership]( Giphy Pop quiz Which famous literary character reveals while sleepwalking that they have committed murder? George Wilson (The Great Gatsby)Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)Tom Ripley (The Talented Mr Ripley)Clytemnestra (Oresteia) Correct. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Youtube Brief History Sleepwalking as a legal defense --------------------------------------------------------------- Sleepwalking has been used as a defense in high-profile legal cases in the past, with mixed results. [Scott Falater]( has been in [prison in Arizona for 21 years]( for murdering his wife. During his trial, Falater said he didn’t remember any of it; his lawyers argued that he was sleepwalking, earning him the nickname of “sleepwalking killer.” Many experts were skeptical but the defense may have spared Falater the death penalty—although he still ended up incarcerated for life. In another case in Canada, a man named [Kenneth Parks was acquitted]( after he murdered his mother-in-law and tried to murder his father-in-law, because he said he was asleep while it happened. The verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada, and Parks walked free, and [right onto the candidate list of a local school board election](. During Parks’ trial in 1987, [an expert witness said]( that there are “about 35 documented cases worldwide of homicides committed during sleepwalking.” This crime is unofficially known as “[homicidal somnambulism](” and legally, it falls under the category of “[automatism](,” which is when a person’s “brain renders them unaware of what they are doing” and therefore they “cannot be held responsible for their actions because they had no conscious knowledge of them. Take me down this 🐰 hole Paging Dr. Google --------------------------------------------------------------- Because most people don’t realize they are sleepwalking and don’t remember it afterwards, the prevalence of sleepwalking is most likely underestimated, and the condition is understudied. In the absence of science, many sleepwalkers turn to Google to figure out what it is, why they do it, and whether cheese might be part of the problem. The 10 countries with the highest search interest in sleepwalking over the past 12 months worldwide are: 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago 🇺🇸 United States of America 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇨🇦 Canada 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇦🇺 Australia 🇰🇪 Kenya 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇳🇴 Norway The top 10 search queries about sleepwalking over that same period are: [The top 10 search queries about sleepwalking from 2020-2021][The top 10 search queries about sleepwalking from 2020-2021] Getty Listen to this! When sleep is the enemy --------------------------------------------------------------- For most people, sleepwalking is a relatively benign condition and a relatively rare occurrence. Not so for comedian [Mike Birbiglia](. His sleepwalking is so persistent, and so extreme, that one late-night misadventure nearly killed him. The experience also led to a breakout story at The Moth that ended up on [This American Life](, and then became a one-man show, and eventually a film called Sleepwalk with Me. [Listen to the original This American Life segment.]( FAQs Your top questions, answered --------------------------------------------------------------- Can you wake someone up from sleepwalking? Yes—but experts recommend [guiding them back to bed instead](. “Sometimes, gently waking the person after they have fully come out of the episode, before settling them back to sleep, will prevent another episode occurring in the same deep-sleep cycle,” [the NHS points out](. But whatever you do, “do not shout or startle the person and do not try to physically restrain them unless they’re in danger, as they may lash out.” How can you treat sleepwalking? Most sleepwalking doesn’t require medical attention. But if it persists in disruptive ways, doctors typically recommend two different buckets of treatments: One aimed at fostering healthy sleep habits and the other at addressing underlying conditions that could be triggering the sleepwalking episodes. According to the [NHS](, sleepwalkers who are at serious risk of injuring themselves or others may also be prescribed benzodiazepines or antidepressants to help them sleep—but those medicines have [serious side effects](. Fun fact! [Sleep-related eating disorder]( (SRED), in which people consume large quantities of food while asleep, has similarities to sleepwalking, and to other eating disorders, but is a distinct diagnosis. Celinaspookyboo Watch this! Sleepwalking, TikToking --------------------------------------------------------------- TikTok user [@Celinaspookyboo]( (real name: [Celina Myers]() posts security camera footage of herself sleepwalking at home. You can see her eat snacks, run the tap, speak, laugh, smell things, and more. It’s a great way to see what somnambulism actually looks like. She believes that eating cheese or chocolate before bed can trigger her sleepwalking episodes—likely the source of all those “cheese induced sleepwalking” Google searches. Some criticize the videos as making light of a serious medical condition. But Myers doesn’t see it that way. “The world is a messy place and it feels good that people are getting giggles out of it,” [she says in one video](. If you’d rather read about bizarre sleepwalking behavior than watch it, check out this [epic Reddit thread]( of supposedly true stories from sleepwalkers. Giphy Poll Do you think that sleepwalking should be a valid legal defense? [Click here to vote]( YesNoNot for murder, anyway 💬let's talk! In yesterday’s poll about [mattresses](, 37% of you said memory foam is your dream mattress, 32% of you are Grand Vividus fans, 12% of you stan waterbeds, and 18% of you claim not to sleep at all. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20sleepwalking&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 🎲 [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Annabelle Timsit](, edited by [Annaliese Griffin](, and produced by [Jordan Weinstock]( [facebook]([twitter]([external-link]( The correct answer to the quiz is Lady Macbeth (Macbeth). Enjoying the Quartz Weekly Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! Want to advertise in the Quartz Weekly Obsession? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States