I would sleepwalk as a kid; now my son does it with open but vacant eyes

"It's terrifying to experience, and even worse to watch it happen to him."

When I was little, I used to sleepwalk. 

Apparently I once walked into the lounge while my sisters were watching a movie, went out to our balcony and started climbing up a chair towards the railing.

They grabbed me and guided me back to bed, but after that, the balcony door was always locked at night.

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"At 18, my sleepwalking got really bad" 

Throughout most of my teenage years, the sleepwalking stopped, but then, around the time I turned 18, it got really bad.

I was living at college and was drinking heavily. For me, it definitely seemed to intensify my nightly expeditions.

Probably the most embarrassing incident was one night after I’d been out partying with friends. I’d had a couple of drinks, but I wasn’t completely blind drunk.

My best friend had a room interconnecting with mine, and she’d brought a guy home with her. They were getting down to business, when she saw an ivory butt glowing in the moonlight. 

“What are you doing, Mills?” she gasped.

Much to her horror, I proceeded to squat and wee on her carpet. 

“Um… what the fuck?” the guy stammered, sitting up in bed. He must have wondered what kind of a circus he’d entered.

My friend realised I was sleepwalking and ushered me back to bed, and when I woke up in the morning, I had no recollection of what I’d done. 

I walked out of my room and ran straight into my friend’s one-night stand. He gave me a weird look.

“Oh, hi,” I said, smiling. “I hope you had a fun night.”

“Yeah, it was certainly interesting,” he replied, and I remember wondering what the heck that meant.  

When my friend told me later that day what had happened, I was absolutely mortified.

Melissa and her son. Image: Melissa Noble

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"I woke up one floor below mine"

A few months later, it happened again. I went to bed in my dorm room, and woke up in a random bedroom – one floor below mine.

As I looked around blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings, my pulse quickened. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d ended up there. I fled and made my way back to my room.

Again, I had absolutely no memory of walking down a flight of stairs or of getting into some random bed. It was petrifying. 

As I got older, the sleepwalking slowed down, and now that I’m 39, I haven’t had an episode for a very long time.

But when my son turned five, something happened that terrified me.

My husband and I were watching TV, when our son floated into the living room. His eyes were open but they looked vacant. He opened one of the cupboards and started to do a wee.

“What are you doing, buddy?” my husband said.

“Oh no,” I swallowed. “He’s sleepwalking, just like I used to.”

Since then, he’s had several sleepwalking episodes over the years, and frankly, it scares me.  

Melissa with her kids. Image: Supplied

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"Direct them back to bed"

Sleep Physician and Medical Director of Sleep Services Australia Dr Linda Schachter said sleepwalking was a parasomnia or sleep disorder characterised by complex movements and behaviours that occur during sleep. 

Usually, sleepwalking starts in childhood and becomes less common as a teenager and stops as a young adult. However it can persist for most of their lives, she told Kidspot. 

Sleepwalking may be an inherited condition (sorry, son). Sleep deprivation, irregular sleep hours, stress, fevers, alcohol, drugs and some medicines increase the risk of sleepwalking. 

Other sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea or restless legs, seizures and fevers can all contribute to the likelihood of sleepwalking, Dr Schachter said.

“In some children, sleepwalking may just be a part of growing up. Parents should be able to comfort the child and direct them back to bed after the sleep walk.”

Dr Schachter said with time, children tended to grow out of it and action should only be taken if it happens too often and/or has a big impact on the child. 

“This might be if they feel tired during the day from a lack of sleep, poor quality sleep, if they are at risk of injuring themselves, or showing violent behaviour,” she said.

Dr Schachter said it was important for children to have good sleep habits, reduce caffeine and other stimulants before bed and try to avoid sleep deprivation in order to minimise sleepwalking.  

“It is also important that the environment is safe, or as safe as possible for the sleepwalker. Occasionally medications may be used, but this should be discussed with a doctor.”  

Hopefully, in my son’s case, he grows out of it sooner rather than later.

Originally published as I would sleepwalk as a kid; now my son does it with open but vacant eyes