What do I do if I think I might have been sleep walking?

See a sleep doctor. Seriously. They are the ones who know about this stuff and better yet; they can actually help treat it if indeed you are sleep walking. If you are in a big city, there is probably a good sleep clinic near you.

@wundayatta
I’ll check that out definitely. I’ve already made an appointment with my primary care physician to get a referral. But in the mean time, what do you think about the string idea? Good? Or, maybe I’ll just end up tripping myself and getting a concussion?

I would research it at webmd or one of the other medical sites before I started treating myself.

Hmmm. Interesting question. I kind of doubt the string thing would work. I’d probably try to keep myself from going out the front door.

I would definitely speak to a doctor about it. Are there sleepwalkers in your family as it can have a genetic basis.

In the meantime:
*Either install a door alarm or put a lock up where you’d need to go get a stool to unlock it (a hotel lock works well for this). Mind you any other locks you add may increase you taking longer to get out if you have a fire.
*Keep your car keys, wallet and all other things that can help you get far away from home somewhere you do not have easy access to while sleeping.
*Lock/bolt your doors and windows.
*Put a loud buzzer on your bedroom door, and lock your bedroom door. Ideally, have the lock up on the door where you can’t easily reach it.
*If you have a weapon(s) lock them out of easy access.

We had a family member that was a sleepwalker in her teens. It was a serious issue considering they had a swimming pool and lived next to railroad tracks. They installed a loud door alarm. If she managed to get out, they would wake her and walk her back to her bedroom.

If this were happening to me, and I lived with no one, I would definitely inform my neighbors, friends, family. For now, I’d have a check in system with someone (friend/family/neighbor). If you don’t call/email/text, they head over and check on you.

You definitely need to keep a journal and figure out what triggered this. If this is a new issue, do you have anxiety/stress? Are you tired during the day? On new meds?

For $15–20 you can buy a passive IR motion sensing light that will turn on when you go past it. That might wake you up. Also there are battery operated alarms that work the same way.

If you want to watch yourself (and have the cash) you can get a $300–400 IR security camera system that wil record any motion it detects. That way you can watch what you did the night before without waking yourself up. It will also monitor your house if you are away – like a nanny cam for adults.

Harbor Frieght (the Chinese Tool store) has a system for $18. Wireless Driveway Alert System
Set it up in your hallway.

Set up a movie camera with a motion detector.

Have the camera aimed at your bed from another room.

@flutherother No, I don’t know of anyone in my family who sleepwalks…

@SpatzieLover Those are all good ideas. I’ll have to try to rig something up tonight before I go to bed. I have a GoPro camera I can set to record, but I doubt it will last all night. Worth a try though. I’ll definitely put my keys and stuff away though, I hadn’t thought about that one.

As far as stress/anxiety goes… no more than usual. I have lots of stuff to worry about, but I feel like I’m dealing with it all better than I usually do actually. I haven’t felt particularly stressed out or anxious.

My video camera has a setting for stop motion photography. I have used that to record a night’s events on a 1 hour tape. Interesting what a dog does at night. Also, one spring I suspected that a rat was sneaking into our kitchen. Sure enough, I was able to catch it on tape.

I come from a long line of sleep walkers. Go through your house and make it safe with gates, locks and such stuff.

You don’t need expensive electronics. Just spread some flour on the floor around your bed before you go to sleep and sweep it up each morning. You can probably even re-use it.

@SmashTheState How is flour going to keep @Esedess safe?

@SpatzieLover I think it’s just for tracking purposes.

@SpatzieLover It will at least confirm whether sie is in fact sleepwalking and, if so, how often.

I would still go with gates. The last memorable time I did it I had moved the gates for the furnace guy to service the furnace. I took a big header off my stairs and just woke up as I was falling past the handrail and somehow hooked the handrail with my arm. I still have the scars on my legs but it could have been worse.

Esedess Looks like you are getting some good advice. Let us hear how it all works out. I never realized that sleepwalking was so common! Talking in sleep, yes, but not sleepwalking.
Adirondackwannabe wow!! and you lived to tell the tale! Talk about rude awakenings…

@Earthgirl We got our first door locks to keep my sister in the house. It runs in the family. That one was about the worst I’ve done.

Adirondackwannabe I wonder if there is some brain mechanism that causes it. Do you know the scientific explanation for it?

My brain is fairly restless, it needs a lot to keep it occupied. Plus sleepwalking does run in families. I don’t think they know for sure.

welll here is one article about what causes sleepwalking, interesting.

@Earthgirl I’ve redecorated rooms while I’m asleep. I come out in the morning and wonder who did this.

Adirondackwannabe That has got to be freaky! It would make me feel like I was going crazy! are you a better decorator aslep, or awake, lol?