Sleep Walking (adult)

cattuccino · June 2014

Does anyone have experience with this? Personally or through family or friends?
I'm struggling. My DH has always sleep walked....in the beginning it was funny...I'd wake up to find him putting his pants on over his pj's ...
It's becoming a stress factor though. He used to never leave the room, this last week he's gone downstairs twice. There was one scary incident when we were in the hospital and he moved LO...

I think it gets worse when he's tired...but....new parents/work/life....it's hard to not be tired. He doesn't usually get up to help with LO and night and I try to keep it that way because I don't want him to be more tired and sleep walk more.

I'm full of guilt, but I don't trust him at night...when he gets up to "help" I don't know if he's actually awake. It scares me he's leaving the room now...i don't know if he'll get LO and could fall down the stairs....or even his own safety. What if he makes it to the car, or anything.

I'm trying to convince him to talk to our Dr and see....but does anyone have any experience? Techniques maybe before bed that help? Meditation maybe?

I'm also trying to encourage more of a "routine"...it's hard because he does shift work that varies by days/hours and the last couple weeks he's been doing 10-12 hour days and no 2 consecutive days off. I'm just getting exhausted between waking with LO and waking up when he gets up to roam. ..and every movement he does because I'm worried where he might go...

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

KatM84 · June 2014

No experience, but I think a sleep study would be something a Dr would recommend. Sorry you deal with this! I'm sure it's scary!

Codypup · June 2014

No experience, but I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I'd be scared of him helping in the MOTN too!

Random question - he doesn't take any sleep medication, does he? I've heard of stuff like this happening with Ambien.

I don't think it could hurt for him to see a doctor. If it seems like it's getting progressively worse, it's worth him getting checked out.

cattuccino · June 2014

@Codypup‌ no he doesn't. He sleeps like a rock aside from the walking and falls asleep within seconds of hitting the pillow.

emar129 · June 2014

I definitely also recommend a sleep study. My sister did the same thing for years. Hers eventually went away, but it was definitely a little scary there for awhile. My parents ended up putting chain locks on the doors because she couldn't figure them out while sleepwalking. Good luck!!

RondackHiker · June 2014

He needs to see a doctor. Have you told him that you're worried sleeping him could hurt the baby? It's not that you don't trust HIM, it's that a sleeping adult walking around isn't safe. He's already moved baby once.

cattuccino · June 2014

I've mentioned my concerns. He just says "I know" and that "everything will be fine". I'll need to push more. I think he's embarrassed and just as frustrated but doesn't think it's a medical issue - just a sleep deprivation issue. I've also raised concerns because we're moving in a couple of months and a new place makes me worry where he may wander.
Thank you.
I feel better knowing that you agree he should see a doctor and that I'm not overreacting.

TessyMessy · June 2014

I am a sleep walker aND can sympathize with both of you. Definitely push for him to see a doctor. There are meds he can take to prevent sleepwalking however they will likely render him useless for MOTN help with LO but since you don't really want him helping anyway it might not be a big deal. I don't sleep walk every night. It seems to occur most when I'm over tired or stressed. For some reason I stopped sleepwalking when I was pregnant and have only done it twice since having LO. We have a bell on our bedroom door so if I get up and leave our room it will wake up DH or me. In our old house I used to fold laundry or attempt to clean something. I also used to rearrange objects like put all my throw pillows in a pyramid on the floor or put all the spices in my spice rack upside down. I never ventured outside (our biggest fear) but just to be extra safe we have alarms on all of our doors that lead outside. I'm sorry you guys are dealing with this since it can be scary when you have a LO in the house but there are ways to manage it. Get him to the doctor! They will probably send him for a sleep study. Good luck!

ETA: I also make sure to say, "I am awake" if I get out of bed at night for any reason. This way DH knows he does not have to get me back to bed.

cattuccino · June 2014

We got in into a fight/argument when I brought it up again and mentioned there's apparently medications. He is not interested.
And now he's at work.
We rarely fight. I've been crying ever since.

MissDemeanor · June 2014

StephCammie511 said:

We got in into a fight/argument when I brought it up again and mentioned there's apparently medications. He is not interested. And now he's at work. We rarely fight. I've been crying ever since.

I'm sorry that your worries have led to a fight. I'm wondering why he's so defensive about this?

cattuccino · June 2014

TyrannosaurusLex said:
I know you were on the fence about an angel care monitor and I just realized this could be an excellent tool for you guys - if he were to remove the baby from her bed an alarm would go off! Even if he turned off one unit, the alarm on the other unit would go off if it was active. Would that help you sleep better?

You're a freaking genius. I didn't even think of that.

And yes he's probably embarrassed and/or frustrated. Or he just really thinks I'm over - worrying (he thinks it's my anxiety disorder that's throwing it out of proportion). He's always sleep walked and "nothing bad has happened". He's a very glass - half-full/optimistic, everythingwillalwaysbeokay type of guy. Usually a great balance for me but sometimes so much more aggravating.
I need to keep trying. Or do tlex's trick/plan at the Dr. Wish I thought of that when we were there this morning.

TessyMessy · June 2014

I am sorry you are going through this ((hugs)) Putting him on the spot at the Dr. may backfire. .. especially if he thinks his sleepwalking is nbd. You could try filming him or just keep a journal of his sleepwalking antics. I know how embarrassing it is to wake up somewhere and not know how I got there or hear a story of what I said/did while asleep. It sucks because it's not really something I can control and it effects my loved ones when I do dumb shit while I sleep. Take it one step at a time. Ask him to try and remember to tell you he is awake when he gets up at night. Also I think @TyrannosaurusLex‌ had a fantastic idea with the angel care monitor!!

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