Sorry, no results were found for

Are You Suffering From Sleep Drunkenness Disorder?

"I don't remember having this conversation."

Have you experienced waking up in the middle of the night and having a random conversation with someone, but not having any recollection of it the next day? Or perhaps you heard your phone ringing, so you wake up to answer it, only to find out it was actually just your alarm clock.

Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy. In fact, it happens to a lot of people.

This sleep “drunkenness” disorder is called confusional arousal. When you are awakened by a trigger, like a cellphone or an alarm clock, your body remains in a confused state for a certain period of time before you wake up fully or go back to sleep. According to the National Institute of Health, this usually happens when you wake up suddenly during non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, in which you are in a deeper sleep period.

It’s normal to experience this once or twice, but if you or anyone you know is experiencing confusional arousal regularly, you should probably schedule an appointment with a doctor. People who suffer from this disorder have the tendency to be violent during their episodes.

“You can hurt yourself physically, hurt someone (else). You wake up irritable and possibly violent,” says Dr. Maurice Ohayon, lead author of a study in Neurology journal and a sleep expert at Stanford University. He also notes that these episodes usually last no more than 15 minutes at a time.


Continue reading below ↓
Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos