Sleepwalking

Since early childhood I have been a sleepwalker. My parents would find me standing in a darkened living room eyes glazed over unresponsive to questions roll their eyes and send me back to bed. I was even stopped trying to leave the house. I guess that was why a security chain was installed.

Somnambulism or noctambulism is a sleep disorder that usually only occurs in children generally between the ages of 4 to 8. It occurs when the person is going from a deeper sleep into a lighter sleep. Some triggers are sleep deprivation, stress, being drunk, nocturnal asthma, or taking certain drugs. As a child I was not allowed alcohol or drugs, had an early bedtime, and was generally happy. And yet I walked the nights.

Alas I did not outgrow the tendency to sleepwalk. I have in my night time perambulations made myself an omelette, and awoken to find I was driving the car and was a significant distance from my house.

Since I never recall these episodes I have to rely on the clues the next morning. My fitbit registers how far I have gone. I am not good at cleaning up all the evidence of my cooking sprees when I sleepwalk. Perhaps this night time cooking is the reason I have so much trouble with my weight. Things have been moved.

Last night I had another episode. Apparently I walked a quarter mile. More disturbing is the fact that my pants have disappeared. I can only hope I was wearing something while hiding those pants. I may never know. I could do a grid search a quarter mile diameter from my house or just give them up as lost. Probably the latter but I will miss the belt that was threaded in them.