Sleepwalking at night tops sleepwalking through life

I talk in my sleep, I walk in my sleep, I scream in my sleep, I even laugh and cry in my sleep. What I rarely do is sleep a nice, deep sleep.

All this activity gets its roots in technicolor dreams and nightmares that stick with me. I remember that they started after I saw “The Blob” at age 5 at a drive-in theater with my family. I was little, so I was literally crouching down on the floor of the backseat, screaming, “Turn it off, turn it off!”

At an older age, my mom said she heard a meow coming from my room. And there were no cats to be seen. I believe her because I woke up recently barking.

My memory from my growing-up years is less than stellar, but I do remember several things about walking in my sleep. I vaguely knew what I was doing but couldn’t stop it. I’d wake up at the top of the stairs curled up on the floor. When I was in the 8^th grade, I’d been working diligently on sewing an apron for myself. Wound up but tired, I went to bed early. Soon after, I walked downstairs in my sleep carrying my blanket. My sister and her boyfriend were there, making fun of me while I put the blanket under the faucet and started “sewing.” As far as I know, that was the last time I walked in my sleep for nearly 60 years!

But two years ago, I had a nightmare. In it, several people were going after me. I lurched over to the door and locked it. I woke up soon after and checked my lock to see if it had really happened. It was locked.

And then last year, shortly after a hospitalization that worried me, I did it again. I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to yell for help. I got up, lurched toward the bathroom door, and smacked right into it. I was moving at such a speed that I basically jammed my head into my neck and felt it through my shoulders. I screamed. When Steve came running, he found me on all fours, dazed.

Despite all this nonsense, I find my dreams entertaining. While they are sometimes annoying, they also make life interesting.

I may not wake up feeling refreshed; but, after the night I've had, I do wake up glad to be alive!