Have you ever been 'sleep drunk?' 1 in 7 has

Posted at 11:16 AM, Aug 26, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-26 14:16:00-04

Have you ever woken up disoriented, trying to figure out where you are and why you're using your cat as a pillow?

No, we don't mean after a night of tequila shots, just an everyday awakening. Well, you may have been sleep drunk. It's a thing.

Being sleep drunk means you have problems waking up after sleeping, and are often confused. Time called it "a serious and surprisingly common problem."

Serious because researchers say it can result in violent behavior. Researchers interviewed more than 19,000 people 18 and older and found 15 percent had experienced sleep drunkeness within the last year.

The study, published in the journal Neurology sought to find out whether being sleep drunk, or having "confusional arousals," as it's also called, is due to "mental disorders and psychotropic medications."

The study found 84 percent of confusional arousals, or sleep drunk episodes, were associated with either mental disorders or drugs. It also found too much or not enough sleep, bipolar and panic disorders played a role as well. 

To learn more about sleep drunkenness and how often it happens to those who suffer from it, watch this Newsy video.