While some of us are so good at sleeping, we could do it with our eyes closed, some aren’t so lucky.
There’s a sleepwalking epidemic going around, with more Brits than ever complaining of unsettled and unsatisfying sleep. According to a recent study conducted by Aviva, 37 per cent of UK residents don’t believe they are getting enough quality sleep at night, waking up without feeling well-rested.
As we all know, tiredness can less to increased stress levels; and anxious, fitful sleep is a major cause of sleepwalking.
Sometimes sleepwalking can cause a sufferer to simply sit up in bed, disorientated or muttering some confused speech.
In more extreme cases, sufferers can attempt complex activities like cooking and driving while in a sleep state. Regardless of the levels of danger, it’s an extremely distressing experience for the sleepwalker.
Catching your partner or family member sleepwalking in the middle of the night might cause you to recall scenes from Paranormal Activity and freak out.
Actually, that’s probably not the wisest reaction.
While most Will Ferrell fans will know not to wake a sleepwalker, thanks to his infectiously quotable film Stepbrothers, the NHS has kindly elaborated on Ferrell’s brief education.
The first thing is to make sure the sleepwalker is in a safe place, and then gently guide them back to bed. Sometimes, waking a person up – gently, I might add – before putting them back to bed can prevent an additional sleepwalking episode.
While the rumour that waking a sleepwalker could cause them to have a heart attack is in fact a myth, the woken sleepwalker could still become violent or aggressively distressed if you were to wake them suddenly.
So, there you have it. Will Ferrell’s movies do have an educational purpose: Let sleeping walkers lie.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.