If you’ve ever had an episode of confusional arousals, you may have experienced something as strange as what I’m about to describe.
After going to bed as normal one day, I later woke up in the middle of the night and sat up in bed. I’m not sure how long I was sitting there without doing anything at first, but I do remember feeling a bit thirsty.
Instead of doing the logical thing and reaching for the glass of water on my bedside table, however, I picked up my phone.
It was only when lifted it to my mouth that I must have realized it didn’t contain any liquid, and put it back on the table.
I then vaguely remember rummaging around for the real glass of water and knocking it off the table onto the stone floor.
I think the sound of the shattering glass must have snapped me out of the confused state. But even then I couldn’t quite understand what I was trying to do.
Over the next few minutes, I slowly came back to reality, and eventually got up to clean the floor. It was only when I was back in bed that it dawned on me that I hadn’t been my usual self.
It seems I’d experienced an episode of what’s known as confusional arousals. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time either, but like many people, I probably don’t usually remember the episodes.
Do you wake up confused and do unusual things?
If you sometimes behave in a confused, strange, or even aggressive way if you wake up in the night, it could be that you’ve also experienced confusional arousals.
And if it tends to happen in the morning, it could potentially be that you have ‘sleep drunkenness’. This is the popular name for what sleep experts call severe sleep inertia. Or in layman’s terms, being unusually slow to come back to life when you wake up in the morning!
In this article, I’ll be taking a look at what confusional arousals are, what’s thought to cause them, and what can be done about them.
I’ll also discuss some fascinating research that shows how common a sleep disorder it is, and who is more likely to have it.
Poll results
Way back in 2015, I ran a poll to find out how often readers experience confusional arousals.
Note that it’s a poll of people reading this article because it’s relevant to them. So the figure of 2.8% who have never had them is likely to be higher in the general population.
Interestingly though, out of 657 readers, 230 said they have confusional arousals very regularly (1-3 times per week). However, 188 people only have a few per year.
What are confusional arousals?
The International Classification of Sleep Disorders diagnostic manual describes confusional arousals as being when someone wakes up in a confused state.
That might sound obvious, but the confusion can take different forms. For example, you might be confused about who you are, where you are, or what’s happening around you.
If someone talks to you, you might have slow or slurred speech. You might give short, blunt answers to questions, or make no sense at all.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, confusional arousals typically occur as you wake from the slow-wave, or N3, sleep stage.
In the spectrum of sleep disorders, confusional arousals are classified as a parasomnia. Parasomnias include unwanted events or experiences around sleep, such as sleep talking, sleep paralysis, and nightmares.
In an interesting research study published in 2020, the authors describe confusional arousals in a way that I think helps understand what can happen during a typical episode:
CA are episodes during which the subject sits on the bed and looks around as if confused. CA often begin with automatic movements, vocalizations or moaning and can progress to thrashing about in bed or violent behaviors towards oneself or others. Individuals usually appear with slow mentation and have poor reactivity to environmental stimuli; attempts to awaken the person are often unsuccessful and may be met with vigorous resistance.
Who experiences confusional arousals?
It’s believed that an equal number of men and women experience confusional arousals. And it’s more common in children and adults under the age of 35.
In 2014, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine published some fascinating research into confusional arousals.
The research made major news headlines, perhaps in part because they could use the captivating title of ‘sleep drunkenness’.
Importantly, the researchers discovered that it’s surprisingly common and that specific groups of people are more likely to have it.
Key points and findings
Here are the main findings of the Stanford study:
- They interviewed 19,136 adults in the United States.
- 15.2% had experienced confusional arousals in the last year. Over 50% of those had experienced it more than once a week.
Of the 15.2% who had confusional arousals, they found:
- 84% were associated with either a sleep disorder, a mental health disorder, or were taking psychotropic drugs.
- 70.8% had another sleep disorder.
- 14.8% sleepwalk.
- 37.4% had a mental disorder (mostly bipolar and panic disorders).
- 31.3% were using psychotropic medication (mainly antidepressants).
- Just 0.9% had no related condition or identifiable cause and could be said to have a confusional arousal disorder.
- 8.6% have either partial or no memory of episodes.
Different types of confusion
The study found the following were the most common types of behavior or confusion:
- Temporospatial disorientation (confusion about where or when they are): 57%
- Hallucinations: 36%
- Difficulty speaking or thinking clearly: 34%
- Confused behaviors: 20%
- Sleepwalking:15%
- No memory of episodes: 9%
Interestingly, the team concluded that confusional arousals were often reported as arising from the treatment of other sleep disorders. And that both sleep and mental disorders were important factors – as seen from the figures above.
Aggressive behavior provoked by another person
Do you or someone you know sometimes act in an aggressive way during an episode? This is understandably worrying and can be stressful for partners. So why does it happen and what can you do about it?
In 2007, Mark R. Pressman, Ph.D. published an interesting review that looked at violent episodes during confusional arousals.
He wrote that violent episodes aren’t common. But when they do happen, it’s usually in two situations:
- If someone wakes you up.
- When you behave in a complex way in bed in your sleep, and someone else tries to calm you by holding or grabbing you.
He further clarifies that:
Violent behaviors associated with provocations and/or close proximity were found to be present in 100% of confusional arousal patients
So perhaps it’s best to avoid physical contact with someone having an episode unless they are putting themselves or others in danger. And to try to avoid waking someone up who is prone to confusional arousals.
Causes and risk factors
Confusional arousals are thought to happen when transitioning from deep sleep to a lighter sleep stage, or when woken up suddenly.
Researchers in 2018 summarize what happens in a slightly more technical way:
Confusional arousals (CA) are characterized by the association of behavioral awakening with persistent slow-wave electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep—suggesting that sensorimotor areas are “awake” while non-sensorimotor areas are still “asleep.”
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine lists several possible causes:
- Recovery from sleep deprivation.
- Consuming alcohol.
- Sleep apnea.
- Periodic limb movement disorder.
- Psychotropic medication.
- Drug abuse.
- Being forced to wake up.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also suggests that there are several possible risk factors.
They say you are more likely to experience confusional arousals if you have a relative who has them. In addition, the following factors can increase the chance of them happening:
- Rotating and night shift work.
- Other sleep disorders (hypersomnia, insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders).
- Not enough sleep
- Stress.
- Worry.
- Bipolar and depressive disorders.
Treatment and prevention
There isn’t a specific cure for confusional arousals as such, and no one-size-fits-all treatment.
If another disorder is causing the episodes, that’s what needs to be treated. This is something to speak to your doctor about, especially if you have signs of a serious sleep disorder like sleep apnea.
The same applies to mental health conditions that can be treated and managed. And if you’re taking medication, it’s a good idea to mention the episodes to your doctor.
If you drink alcohol or take recreational drugs, it might help to see if you have fewer episodes when you don’t drink or take drugs.
It’s also important to try to focus on your sleep and make sure you’re getting enough – don’t allow yourself to become sleep deprived over time.
The standard advice from sleep professionals to practice good sleep hygiene might also help. In particular, find ways to reduce stress, and develop a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine so you go to bed in a calm frame of mind.
You’re not alone
One final note if you’ve been worrying about your behavior is to remember that you’re not alone. Don’t be embarrassed or think you’re abnormal because of what you do when you’re not fully aware.
Many people experience sleep disorders or go through periods where bizarre things happen to them at night.
If it’s worrying you or having an impact on your life or relationships, it’s a good idea to speak to a medical professional though. At the very least, they should be able to set your mind at ease.
The funny side
Personally, I choose to deal with it by trying not to take it too seriously. I try to laugh at myself when I do strange things like attempting to leave my bedroom via the wardrobe (yes, really!).
I know I have other sleep problems and am constantly working on those. So I hope that one day I’ll get on top of my sleep problems once and for all. Perhaps the confusional arousals will then resolve too.
Until then, other than worrying about replacing a broken glass, I’m able to see the funny side. I remind myself that little events like this can make life all the more colorful.
Understandably, if your confusional arousal episodes are causing problems because of aggressive behavior, sleep disruption, or complaints from a partner, you might not see the funny side.
If it’s just the occasional event of mistaking your phone for a lamp, or not knowing who you are for a moment, then perhaps a smile or laugh is the best way to stop yourself get stressed by it.
Your thoughts
If you’ve experienced confusional arousals I’d be very interested to hear from you. What exactly happens during your episodes? Have you found anything that makes them more or less frequent?
It’s often the case that readers find reassurance in knowing that they aren’t the only ones who experience a particular sleep disorder. So please feel free to share your story in the comments below.
Really glad to have discovered this website. Last night I had an odd and somewhat scary sleep disorder – this comes just at the end of a bout of flu (not sure if this played a role). Quite relived to read that this may be sleep drunkenness. After quickly falling asleep I was jolted awake about an hour later feeling very odd and confused with nothing around me seeming familiar. I quickly got out of bed and was desperately trying to remember what our driveway and the road outside was like (why those particlar things I don’t know!!). The more I tried to remember the more concerned and panicked I got as I couldn’t recall anything. I went to the bathroom to get a glass of water by which time I’d broken into a cold sweat and was getting quite concerned about what was happening. I went back and sat on the edge of the bed after a couple of minutes then waking my wife to explain what was happening. Thankfully she talked me round and eventually the feeling subsided although the remaining anxiety left me wakeful the rest of the night, as I found the whole thing very disconcerting – I like to be in control!. I’ve suffered from sleep paralysis in the past and having thought about it all day i seem to recall a similar bout of drunkenness as a child. I’ve also had episodes suddenly being jolted out of sleep to sit upright (although without the memory loss) Hopefully if or when it happens again I’ll be able to recall that it’s just a little brain blip that will soon pass. Thanks for the informative site.
Hi Justin
Thanks for your comment, and I’m glad you found the article helpful. I think sometimes it can make a big difference to how we react to these strange occurrences, knowing what it is. Hopefully if it does happen again, you’ll feel a little less stressed by it and able to sleep again.
Regards
Ethan
Something that has happened to me a couple of times lately is that I’ve woken up aware that I’m very much unable to focus: feeling stupid with a blank mind, barely being able to piece together simple thoughts like my own name. It quickly gets better over the course of a couple of minutes. The first time was particularly scary; I even imagined I had had a stroke.
Hi Bogdan
Thanks for your comment. I think many people sometimes take a little while to fully wake up and work out where they are. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, and hopefully you won’t have any repeats of the stroke episode.
Regards
Ethan
This only started happening to me a couple months ago, and only about once a week, but recently my episodes have increased to 3/4 times a week. However my episodes seem different to most people’s and when I google it there are no results. I will wake up in the middle of the night and forget how to get back to sleep, I will just lie there not understanding how sleep works. Sometimes I reach a delirious state obsessing over a certain maths or physics equation, adamant that it contains the answer of how to get back to sleep. It’s happened every night so far this week- I’m exhausted, help!
Hi Ellie
Thanks for your comment. Actually, that’s a surprisingly common thing that happens to people – keeping themselves awake by thinking about sleep and how they fall asleep. I used to do that an awful lot in my teens and early twenties. What I found helps is to take my mind off it by refocusing my attention away from my thoughts and onto my body. I’d recommend having a look at the article discussing relaxation techniques for sleep and choosing an exercise, such as the breathing one, and then doing that when you wake in the night and find yourself slipping into that thought process.
Regards
Ethan
Hello, I am so glad that I’ve come across your article! I suffer with quite bad anxiety and every couple of months or so I have this reoccurring disturbance where I’ll wake up suddenly and think my arm is green!! It creeps me out for a split second and then everything goes back to normal and I’m wide awake again. I’ve always wondered what caused this but have never made a big deal out of it. I think it could definitely be confusional arousal! Thank you for sharing your story.
Hi Beth
Thanks for your comment. Yes, that could be a confusional arousal. If you actually look at it and see it as green, then it could just be your mind playing tricks on you, such as with hypnagogic hallucinations. I’m glad the article has brought you some peace though.
Regards
Ethan
I have this/similar symptoms most mornings when I wake up and have done from a young age. However mine is less of a “confused state” and more of a daredevil one. I wake some mornings and for the first 5-10 minutes of waking I think of doing something crazy, be it reaching for my mobile and saying something out of the ordinary to someone or physically getting up and getting ready to go and do something I wouldn’t regularly do. It’s very odd and more times than not I wait it out and ask myself what I was thinking. I don’t see any consequences for 10 minutes after I awake, and I love it. No alcohol needed!
Hi RVL
Thanks for your comment, and it’s always nice to hear from someone who actually enjoys the strange experiences that can come along with our sleep!
Regards
Ethan
A couple of weeks ago me and my partner went on holiday the first night shortly after falling asleep I went to the loo when I came back into the bedroom he awoke screaming twice and saying “who’s there” before going back to sleep when I spoke to him in the morning he said he has little to no memory of the event. It seems whenever I wake him after he falls asleep he’s always confused and not quite with it for a little while.
IS this something I should be concerned about?
Hi Sam
Thanks for your comment. I can understand the concern, but I don’t think it’s anything serious you need to worry about. I guess just try to be very quiet and gentle when you get in and out of bed to avoid freaking yourself out by his reactions.
Regards
Ethan
Hi my boyfriend has told me that I occasionally wake up rubbing with the tip of my fingers his back and that as soon as he tell me love wake up that I begin to smiles and my eyes sparkle but then he becomes altered because he thinks that I am being possessed or some thing. Not sure why I do this but I don’t seem to remember any of it.
Hi Sabine
Thanks for your comment. What do you mean that he becomes altered? You mean he gets upset or worried? It might not be confusional arousals…some people do just naturally make movements with their fingers or toes when falling asleep or waking up. Try not to worry about it too much, and you’re not being possessed!
Regards
Ethan
I’m happy I read this I think I finally found the explanation as to what I’ve been experiencing! Last night in the middle of the night I sat up and began picking clothes out of my dresser and putting them on the floor. Then I kept thinking I need to clean up because there was someone sleeping on my floor (which was really just clothes) and tossed a shirt into my clothes bin. I then went back to bed. It wasnt until the morning when I thought back on it and it made no sense. Something along these lines happens usually once a week.
Hi Kylie
Thanks for your comment. It does look like it could well have been confusional arousals you experienced, and I’m glad you feel that you’ve found an explanation finally. I wonder who you thought the person was, or if it was just a random idea of a person rather than anyone specific.
Regards
Ethan
I’m sure that I don’t want this to continue anymore. For past few days, I’m not able to sleep well. I constantly talk with someone in my dreams. I have some kind of conversation with this person in my dream but I couldn’t identify the person nor remember what I spoke. One early morning I found myself sleeping in my bed without my shirt on and i do clearly remember wearing it while I slept that night. In a week’s time yet again I found myself sleep walking to my parents room. I desperately need some answers why all of a sudden something like this happening to me.. And i’m tired of finding the reasons or trying to remember anything during my sleep..
Hi Kanish
Thanks for your comment. It sounds to me like you’ve been sleepwalking. There are many reasons why it might have suddenly started now. It could just be chance. Or it could be due to stress, anxiety, tiredness, new medication or other lifestyle choices for example. Have there been any big changes in your life, lifestyle or mood recently? If so, there could be a connection and something you can try to work through.
Regards
Ethan
My four year old daughter came down with a strep throat infection a month ago. On the first night of her fevers, she woke up very confused, running back and forth across our sofa, and when she talked it was all babble. It lasted a few minutes: she shook and cried, tried to reach my face, as if she was seeing me through a glass window, but couldn’t touch me. The poor thing was very scared.
Ever since then, about every other night, she has similar Confusional Arousals. So far none of them, except the ones she experienced while sick with strep throat, have been as severe, and they may be lessening in intensity (that could also be wishful thinking in my part.)
I have been looking on the net to try to figure out what is going on, and I think I’ve finally figured it out.
I just wanted to share her story, because what I am not finding is much evidence to support why this might happen to someone. For my daughter, the trigger was flipped specifically while she was ill with a very serious bacteria. I hope to learn more, and I’ll be talking with her dr soon about it.
Thank you for your article.
Hi Audra
Thanks for your comment and I’m glad you found the article helpful. Sorry to hear you’ve been worrying about your daughter’s sleep activity. It must be worrying as a parent when you see her behaving this way. It’s sometimes hard to tell whether it’s something like confusional arousals, sleep talking or walking, or perhaps even night terrors. I think tallking it through in more detail with your doctor is a good idea, and hopefully they’ll be able to answer your questions.
Regards
Ethan
My boyfriend started out just sleep talking..a lot, usually just mumbles. Though lately he has been sitting up in her eyes wide open talking, opening up his bedside drawer, and turning the tv off and on. The next day he wakes up and doesn’t remember a thing. Could this relate to confusional arousal?
Hi Joan
Thanks for your comment. I think it could well be due to confusional arousals. If it’s something which continues to worry you both, or he does things which could cause harm, then you can always talk to your doctor about it for some advice.
Regards
Ethan
Hi,
Not sure if you can help me. My boyfriend might suffer from this. So far, twice, he’s woken up from a nap, says weird things that don’t make sense, seems like he’s alert but it freaks me out. And just now, he woke up, I asked him if he wanted Chinese food I was about to order, he said something about colour coding it, got angry that I wasn’t understanding him, said ‘forget it’, said ‘I don’t want to do anything tomorrow ‘ and stormed off into the bedroom.
Hi Linda
Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure if that would be confusional arousals or simply waking up slowly and talking whilst still half-asleep. It could be that the dream he was having or the brain activity at the time of waking is mapping onto reality, but not quite making sense. I imagine the best thing is to just leave him to wake up slowly and let him be the first to talk if it’s worrying you how he responds when you talk to him in this state.
Regards
Ethan
Hello,
Firstly I suffer from sleep apnea, where I often wake up gasping for breath, I often snore and always talk in my sleep, I have conversations apparently too, my dad has a history of acting out in his sleep I have groped my gf in her sleep and Quite often wake up in a very confused state
My story is slightly different to most of the stories on here, where I do have a few seconds memory of the episode but nothing before and nothing after.
It was approximately 5am and I had been drinking
I was lying down on a couch with a girl in front of me where I have a memory of touching her in a very confused state for approximately a few seconds.i don’t remember it staring or ending
I was wondering if anyone could help me as I can’t help but feel guilty for touching her because I have a memory of doing so and was wondering if there was anyone else in a similar position
Thanks
Hi Sam
Thanks for your comment. Have you been to a sleep specialist recently to get yourself checked out since the diagnosis of sleep apnea? With so many different things going on in your sleep, it might be worth getting some expert advice or a sleep study done. They might be able to identify if the groping etc is due to confusional arousals or something else. Do you think that alcohol makes it more likely to happen? If so, then perhaps you might need to think about what you can reasonably drink without reaching the point where it results in unwanted sleep events.
Regards
Ethan
Hi!
I think I get this in the mornings? This morning I woke up to my alarm, frantic to turn it off I seemed to have unplugged my PlayStation (next to alarm) and slid it under the sofa. I only realised this this evening when I found the PlayStation under the sofa? I must have turned the alarm off somehow after. My mum also occasionally speakers to me in the mornings to wake me up and I have no recollection of this whatsoever. I was wondering if this could be confusion arousals?
Thanks :)
Hi Daniel
Thanks for your comment. It does sound like it could be confusional arousals – especially the playstation/alarm mix-up. It seems very similar to some of the things I’ve done in the past!
Regards
Ethan
I have been experiencing these for many years and only really concerned until tonight. I jumped out of bed ran into my 5 month old daughters room, grabbed her and ran into the basement with her (where my husband came and took her from me and brought he back to bed). I for some reason woke and thought that some alarm or sound was about to go off that I forgot to set that would kill her if it did, so that’s why I has ran and taken her downstairs. I’ve done weird things so many times, even running outside, but having done this with my daughter makes me scared to go back to sleep. I usually do remember what happened, but have occasionally not been able to remember until my husband tells me. Very worried at the moment!
Hi Vanessa
Thanks for your comment. When these episodes happen are you awake, but in a confused state or are you still asleep? Have you ever spoken to a doctor about getting a sleep study done? I’m wondering if perhaps what you have experienced could be something else, such as REM sleep behavior disorder. This is where you act out your dreams because your brain doesn’t shut your body down properly as it normally does during REM sleep. It might be worth talking to a specialist about your sleep.
Regards
Ethan
This happens to me almost every night, i found my self looking under the bed or my night table for something I need to find desperately, when is happening I know exacty what are the items i am looking for, but after some minutes of been awake after a desperate search, I can not remember what was that i was looking for. Sometimes I wake up and grab my dog, wake up my son and tell him we need to leave because something is gonna happen, then I cant remember what is it and I go back to bed, anyway, i spend most of my nights looking for something extremely value that I have lost under my bed!
Hi Paola
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your experiences. I wonder if you could work out what the valuable thing was, then leave it on your bedside table, if you woke in the night you might find it and fall asleep again! Just an idea…
Regards
Ethan
Ive been having what I believe (from google research) are confusional arousals, but i’m unsure… sometimes I dont remember every detail but sometimes I do. I “wake up” I see something odd like a spider or a huge bug or something creepy and start as my boyfriend describes hyperventilating or heavy breathing ask him if he saw it, freak out then after he convinced me nothings there i go back to bed. This happens a couple times a week and just started possibly two months ago.
Hi Hailey
Thanks for your comment. It could be confusional arousals, but equally it might be hypnopompic hallucinations you’re having. Have a look at this article and see if it makes sense.
Regards
Ethan
hello I’m 16 and every day my mom wakes me up for school and almost everyday she tells me that I have a full conversation with her for 2 minutes and when she leaves the room I guess I fall asleep again I don’t remember any of it and always realize where I am 10 minutes later or more would this be considered a confusional arousal?
Hi Paige
Thanks for your comment. It’s unlikely to be this if you manage to have a full conversation for 2 minutes. It’s more likely that you’re just still half-asleep and so not really registering the conversation. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.
Regards
Ethan
Hi, I ended up googling sleep drunkenness because of the fact that last night I wasn’t even asleep, I was just so tired and laying in bed texting my boyfriend and I thought I was in someone’s living room and I got so confused. And I’d just like to share my experiences with you.
When I was little I had night terrors until about age 6, and I struggle with anxiety and depression (self diagnosed, not doing anything about it because parents don’t believe me, btw I just turned 17 on the 6th,). Anyways this has happened a few times in the past 3 years where my mom will come home at about 11pm and she will come in my room to tell me she’s home and I will wake up scared confused about who she is and who I am and I will be crying and scared. I will go back to sleep right away only to wake up half an hour later thinking I dreamt that episode.
And I’m naturally skinny so sometimes I will wake up at 3 am or something and feel my arm or hips and I will be confused on why they are so skinny and why I’m so skinny. Another thing that happens is I will sometimes wake up at any time and look at the alarm clock and be so confused and not understand the time. It will be like 5am and I’ll think it’s like 12am or 7am or something. At these moments I’ll just stare until I understand. Anyways, those are my experiences lol.
Hi Courtney
Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you might be experiencing some confusional arousals there. Hopefully the article will have given you a better insight into it and help calm your mind about what you experience. I’m sorry you feel that you have anxiety and depression, but don’t have the support you feel you need. Have you tried speaking to them about it again? Or is there someone else you feel you can trust with your feelings and talk to? I think it’s good to have someone you can express yourself to and get support from. I’d also recommend having a look into the practice of mindfulness, which can be helpful for those kinds of problems, and even help keep you calm at night.
Regards
Ethan
Hi
I am writing because my husband woke the other night in a state of confusion and frightened the life out of me. He does suffer from sleep apoenia and so has a ‘breathing machine’ for use through the night. At about 4am he woke, turned off the machine, got out of bed and walked to the door, where he said ‘oh’ and scurried back into the room as if frightened. I thought he was going to get back into bed, but instead he turned back to the door and opened it again. Once more he said ‘oh’ and scurried back into the room. Having done this about three times I asked him what he was doing and he replied going to bed. I told him where the bed was and he went out the door this time and stood outside the small bedroom. He kept saying ‘oh’ and changing direction and what he was doing. I got him to sit on the end of the bed and he was turning on his breathing machine, saying ‘oh’ and turning it off again. This went on for about 15 minutes. He was very shaky and confused and did not seem to know what he was doing. Eventually I got him to the bathroom as he said he needed the toilet. Even then he was turning the light on and off and saying ‘oh’. Eventually he returned to bed and seemed ‘normal’ again. Obviously we could neither of us sleep and I was very concerned. We have not been to the doctor about this, and it has not recurred however I am constantly waiting for it to happen again.
Hi Lesley,
Thanks for your comment. I can understand why you were concerned by your husband’s behavior that night. Whether it was confusional arousals is of course difficult to say. My advice, as you say yourself, would be to wait and see if it happens again. It may well have just been a one-off, as happens to many people across the spectrum of sleep disorders. Hopefully it won’t happen again. Do try not to worry about it too much though for now, or let it ruin your sleep if you can.
Regards
Ethan
I’ve been having episodes like this nearly every night for about 1 year, might be longer, but have recently moved in with my partner so I now have someone who sees them and tells me about them. Some of the things i’ve been seen doing are measuring the bed and laughing, trying to stop trucks coming through the walls, just getting up and falling over, seeing people in the room and knives coming from the ceiling. Sometimes i eventually come back to reality, sometimes I just get guided back to bed and fall asleep straight away. My partner told me Last night I got up confused about where I was and seemed very scared. Is it possible for these episodes to get worse? I am also concerned that it may be related to my the juvenile epilepsy that i had as a teen
Hi Kate
Thanks for your comment. Have you ever spoken to your doctor about this? I’m wondering if what you do is confusional arousals, or in fact something else like sleep walking or REM sleep behavior disorder. Have a look at those two articles and see if they make sense to you in terms of what you do. But you can also have a chat with your doctor about it too if you’re concerned by your behavior. It’s impossible to say whether they will get worse or not, and it depends what you mean by worse. The main worry with REM sleep behavior disorder for example would be carrying out actions which might hurt you or your partner. Hopefully that won’t be the case though.
Regards
Ethan
I have two sons, ages 18 and 12. Both have had this sleep drunkenness issue since they were very little. They have also been very hard to wake up in the mornings for school. About two years ago they both started taking medication for ADHD. I don’t know if it’s related, but there have only been a few episodes of confusional arrousal since, whereas before the meds it was happening several times a month. (However, both boys still sleep like the dead and are very difficult to awaken if breakfast is not involved). Have you heard anything about ADHD meds like Vyvanse and Adderall having an effect on this condition, or am I just crazy? Lol
Hi Nancy
Thanks for your comment. It’s not my area of expertise, but I did have a look online for research related to your question. It appears that some sources do say confusional arousals are sometimes associated with ADHD. So perhaps by taking the medication to control the ADHD, it has helped lessen some of the other symptoms. I think perhaps your sons’ doctor might be the best person to ask. The main thing though is that they have less episodes now.
All the best
Ethan
I’m not sure, but I think I just had one right now. The first time, I’m freaked out. So I was taking a nap in between studying at night, the writing board and book were on the floor, the TV was off, but the switches were on. I missed the alarm and ended up fall asleep on the living room couch. Two and a quarter hours later, I wake up with a knock on the door. It’s my friend come to sleep on the couch, the bedroom having gotten too cold for her. I take the pen, my phone and TV remote, clearing the couch for her, mentally re-plan my schedule for the next day to make up for falling asleep early, and move on to the bedroom to continue sleeping. Only then do I realise that the board with the book, which I’d laid down right next to the couch that I wad sleeping on, had been picked up and transferred to the opposite couch. And the TV switches had been off as well. I have absolutely no memory of doing that. But I do have memory of hearing the knock. And was semi-conscious while clearing off the other stuff. Though reading your site has helped me calm a little, I’m still bewildered and scared.
Hi Shruti
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. I’m not sure if this was a confusional arousal or not, though it sounds like it could have been. But equally, perhaps when you woke up you were just very sleepy and your memory became hazy due to waking up in one of the deeper stages of sleep, and therefore still being a bit ‘out of it’. I know it can be disturbing when odd things happen in the night, but try not to let it worry you too much. I’m sure you’re absolutely fine!
Regards
Ethan
I’m not sure if I have it or not but I do have conversations with my parents and my brother, sometimes I even yall at them but I never remember any of this when I wake up
Hi Mariam
Thanks for your comment. It could be that you’re sleep talking rather than having confusional arousals. How does your family describe you when it happens? Have they ever told you that you look awake or asleep when it happens?
Regards
Ethan
So I’m glad this isn’t a fatal thing. Because I’m freaking out. Tonight out of no where I was awake. I don’t remember waking up. Just out of nowhere I was aware that I was awake and didn’t remember falling asleep or waking up. I looked at the time and it was 5:05 but I couldn’t tell if I ever went to sleep. My vision is blurry and my head hurts. I still feel kinda confused like it hasn’t snapped its self out. I haven’t been diagnosed officially with anxiety but I do have panic attacks every once in a while. For some reason with my head hurting like this I feel afraid to go to sleep. Like I won’t wake up or something.
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for your comment. Sorry to hear you woke up feeling so bad. It’s hard to tell whether you had a confusional arousal, or if you just woke up badly. Sometimes we do just fall asleep and then wake up, not quite sure when we fell asleep exactly or how we woke up. And a blurry head can accompany that in the middle of the night especially. The blurry vision could also be part of waking up slightly disorientated. I think if it happens repeatedly, and each time is accompanied by a lot of confusion, then perhaps you could think about this. But it might just be that once in a while you wake up feeling a bit groggy in the middle of the night.
Regards
Ethan
So, me and my boyfriend just moved in together 3-4 months ago. And ever since he moved in he tells me the weird stuff I do every so often.
I guess one time I woke up and told him to catch the picture that was on the wall because it was falling. And I hit him a bunch I guess because I wanted him to catch it. Then I went back to bed.
And another time I guess he was playing xbox and I sat up and said “I don’t remember her name” and he said “who?” And I said “I don’t remember her name” and he said ” what are you talking about” and then I proceeded to tell him to shut up I’m trying to sleep and then went back to sleep.
These are the 2 that I can remember him telling me about, I’m sure there’s been more that I forgot. But I don’t remember either of these.
I do have really bad anxiety though if that makes a difference.
It’s weirding me out though. Help?
Hi Jordan
Thanks for your comment. I guess if you suffer from anxiety, then something like this is likely to worry you. It’s understandably not nice feeling like you are out of control.
Have you spoken to your doctor about it? Are you taking any medication at all, and if so can you ask your doctor if it could be causing it?
Otherwise, as I said in the article I think it’s important to follow good sleep hygiene advice. Make sure you have a regular pattern for example, and don’t allow yourself to become sleep deprived. Have a look at the sleep hygiene section on this website and see how many tips you can put into place.
And above all, I know it might sound hard, but try not to allow it to get you down. As I said, if you can see the funny side, then that’s a good way to cope with it.
Regards
Ethan
Hi, I am a 16 year old girl & ive been diagnosed with depression as well as other things. I do not take any medication. I wake up at almost the same time every night of the week (1:40). My confusion involves my thought process. Last night, among many other times, my first thought when I woke up is that I wanted to hold my boyfriends hand. Of course he is at his house, but I couldn’t understand why that meant he couldn’t just reach over and hold my hand. I kept wondering if he could hold my hand through the phone. Then I wondered if we got on FaceTime or Skype that maybe he could put his hand on the screen and I would do the same and we could hold hands. After thinking irrationally about those things for about 6-7 minutes I snapped out of it and realized that all of those things were impossible. I had texted my boyfriend I wish I could hold your hand and I forgot about it until he brought it up later the next day. This is probably the 15th time I had texted him while I was in a state of confusion. Whenever I look back to see what I had texted him during the night it’s very strange things that I would never say. One night I was talking about if I wear sunglasses I could only see nice people. I dont know if anyone else experiences this type of confusion arousal but it’d be nice to have feedback. Sometimes it freaks me out that I have no memory of the things that I said.
Hi Alana
Thanks for your comment. I can understand why these texts would concern you, especially if you have no memory of them. I haven’t done anything like that personally, but perhaps other readers have done. Perhaps you could try turning off your phone, and if you use it for an alarm, check it has a setting which turns it on again to ring the alarm?
Regards
Ethan
Hi there. I had one of these episodes today. I felt very cold and tired and went for a nap after lunch. I woke up about 90 minutes later and had no idea who, where or when I was. Nothing came back for at least 5 minutes. That was about 6 hours ago and I’m still feeling a little dazed. I was slurring a little and struggling to think straight for hours.
I used to sleep walk very regularly when I was a child and have episodes of depression on and off (though I’m fine at the moment).
I’m glad I found your post as it was a scary experience until reading this – it all starts to make sense now and I won’t be so unnerved if it happens again!
Thank you!
Hi Lucy
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the article helpful; sometimes just knowing that you’re not the only one experiencing something which can be unsettling can be a big help. Try not to worry about it too much, but if it does keep happening you could always talk it through with your doctor.
Regards
Ethan
Glad to know this does have a name! I’ve had this for some time now. Sometimes, when napping, I get up and am afraid someone is in my house. Not in the scary sense but a guest I forgot about. I’ll tell my husband to straighten up the house and look for the person. My husband has to convince me that no one is there. Other times, when in bed, I start to dream that someone is in my bed. Again not someone scary but a guest but I kind of freak they will see me in my sleep clothes and have a little panic attack. Slowly the ‘person’ in my mind moves slowly outside my personal space (like they were never closer). From bed, to room, same floor, finally just in the house. When I feel they are in the house or the same floor, I get up and put on more clothes. Sometimes it is whatever I can find. I don’t remember it at all sometimes but one time I argued with my mind about the logic of it and just stood next to my bed until I realized it wasn’t rational. It happens if I expect guests and about a week after they leave or if I sleep with too little clothing on (something I wouldn’t want people to see me in).
Hi Jen
Thanks for your comment. That sounds like quite an unusual thing to experience indeed, and it’s interesting how it’s connected to guests being in the house. I wonder if it would continue if you put an inside lock on your bedroom door, thus removing the anxiety about your guests being in your bedroom?
Regards
Ethan
Dear sir/madam,
Its been a while that i have a tough situation. I was a very strong person, everything changed in my life. I lost everything and ended all alone. I’m always sad and depressed and i feel so lonely and nothing can makes me happy. I literally have one friend and no one else and I’m working and studying at the university. I feel my mental situation is getting worse i got anxiety i used to be a very care free person about the opinions of others now everything changed. Now lets get to the sleep disorder that I’m experiencing. Whenever a small thing happens that makes me unhappy i wake up in the night and see myself watching around myself again and again wondering where I am. This happens every time something happens at work or school that some one makes me unhappy. Please help me
Hi Mina
Thank you for your comment, and I’m very sorry to hear you’re going through such a difficult time at the moment. Have you spoken to a doctor about the way you feel? I think if things have gotten so bad for you, then perhaps it’s time to speak to a professional. They might be able to refer you for some counseling to help you deal with the loss in you life and the feelings you have now.
I’m not quite sure what’s happening there in your sleep, whether it’s confusional arousals, or some type of dream experience. Your description is a bit confusing.
And do you have time to maybe join a club, activity, sport or class at the university? I know you’re probably very busy if you’re bother working and studying, but joining a group is one of the best ways to make new friends, deal with stress and unwind. And we all need a little time to do enjoyable things. Just an idea!
Stay strong, and hopefully things will pick up again for you soon.
Regards
Ethan
Having so many of the symptoms, and a sleep disorder, and on antidepressant medication, also on Ambien for sleep. I am my own worst enemy. I know the next morning if I get up and make a bowl of cereal and then fall asleep eating it and spilling it all over me and the floor. Most things, I remember the next day. This morning I woke up and there is a large tote on the table with all of my papers and notebooks from family research in the tote. I have wanted to get this done for weeks. But I have no memory of doing it. NONE. I fear for my safety and my husbands. If I do that, what else can I do? My husband laughs it off. He says you can’t change it and he is not going to worry about it. I am. Any suggestions? Please and thank you.
Norma
Hi Norma
Thanks for your comment. I’m wondering if you’re doing such complex behavior as that, if perhaps you’re sleepwalking rather than confusional arousals being the explanation?
I would suggest if you’re having such problems with grogginess and falling asleep mid-eating the next day that you speak to your doctor about the medication. It may be that it’s too strong, or your body is not getting rid of it quickly enough considering your schedule. If you’re worried about your safety, it’s always good to speak openly with your doctor about it if it’s a medical issue.
Regards
Ethan
I find my self waking up in weird places. For instance I recently woke up underneath my aunts bed, I’ve woken up on the garage floor, in my front yard even in the back seat of my van among other places as well and not remembering how I had gotten there. I do remember falling asleep in my own bed but I wake up in some places having no recollection of how I got there and I was wondering if any one else has had these type of episodes?
Hi Jack
Thanks for your comment. From what you’ve said, I’m thinking that perhaps you were sleepwalking. Do you have a history of this?
All the best
Ethan
Thanks for referring me to that article. I read it and I think that’s what’s happening to me. It was really starting to freak me out…thanks again…your web site here really helped me to understand what people can go through.
Hi Jack,
You’re very welcome. I’m glad you found the article helpful and that it seems to make sense in terms of what you’ve been experiencing. And I’m glad the site has helped you understand your sleep a little better.
Regards
Ethan
Mike, I could not agree more. Modern medicine often takes the high tech or pharmaceutical approach when diet or lifestyle change can make all the difference. Thanks for sharing your dad’s solution for his leg cramps.
My girlfriend often wakes and talks as if I was someone else. She has even called another guy name. Some of her early morning chats have worried me. What I’m interested in is are these just random thought or memory recall ? As although I don’t think she’s been unfaithful it sometimes seems she could be.
She can seem quite alert and then snaps out of it.
Thanks Dave
Hi Dave
Thank you for your comment. I can understand your frustration and worry if your girlfriend is calling out guy’s names. I guess the honest answer is that there’s no real way to know if it’s random or memory. But my temptation would be to say it’s probably random. We all know many people during our lives, of both sexes. And when we sleep, we know our brains can create all kinds of dreams or mental states which are just a way of processing life. My advice would be to give her the benefit of the doubt, as people do all kinds of weird stuff in their sleep.
As another example, there is a sleep disorder called catathrenia where people make groaning noises in their sleep, which other people sometimes think of as being sexual. Partners then question why they are having ‘sexual’ dreams. But there is no evidence that the noises are because the person is having a sexual dream.
All the best
Ethan
This happens to me a lot. Every night, lol, due to antispasmodic muscle relaxers. I recently had a change in dosage so I wake up frantically doing things like trying to get in the closet (why?) but unable to find the knob, looking for my clothes beside the bed despite the fact that I’m wearing my clothes, completely lost because I’m standing on the wrong side of the bed or I’m in the living room or the closet. Unfortunately, when the lightbulb goes off and I realize I was asleep it leaves me wide awake for a couple hours but definitely amused.
Hi Klee
Thank your for your comment. It’s a shame that it can disrupt your sleep for so long, but it’s also good that you find the whole experience amusing. It is amazing isn’t it, that moment when you realize what you were trying to do. It’s both puzzling and comical at the same time!
Hopefully you will adjust to the new dosage of your meds and you’ll have less confusional arousals. If not, perhaps it might be worth chatting to your doctor about the medication. Perhaps there is something else which won’t trigger the episodes.
Regards
Ethan
meditating right before going to bed seems to keep me awake off and on all night
Hi Jerry
Thanks for your comment. That’s an unusual effect of meditation…usually it’s the opposite as it can help you relax before sleep. Why do you think it might be that it keeps you awake?
Regards
Ethan
For some reason I have these experiences most when I am ill but I also have them at times when everything is fine. Some of the most notable experiences have been: me trying to wake someone up to ask them what the plan is for tomorrow and then noticing what I am doing and feeling embarrassed so I told the person to go to sleep again. Another one which happens quite often is that I get up and start cleaning up, I take clothes and place them somewhere else with a feeling of urgency as though id have guests over any minute. Sometimes it does effect how fresh I feel the next day but mostly its just something to joke about with my boyfriend.
Hi Lisa N,
Thanks for your comment, and for sharing your experiences. It’s good that you can joke about things like this with your partner. That tends to be my attitude too when I have episodes of confusional arousals or other strange occurrences in my sleep.
Out of interest, do you find yourself waking up in the middle of doing things like cleaning, or do you definitely wake up in bed, then get up and start cleaning? And how long do the episodes last for, assuming you can remember that much.
Regards
Ethan
The most humorous time I can remember was waking up with my head at the foot of the bed and being really confused because I couldn’t find the wall behind my head or my nightstand. After nearly falling off the foot of the bed and then nearly falling off the side of the bed groping around, I managed to turn myself back to the correct orientation and turned the light on. My pillow was still warm so I couldn’t have been turned around for long at all.
Hi Cladia,
Thanks for your comment, and you have just reminded me of doing exactly the same thing! Your comment has literally just triggered a series of memories of doing this when I was a kid. How bizarre, but also delightful to have suddenly had my memory jogged like this. I actually feel like saying thank you for it:-)
I’m not sure whether it counts as a confusional arousal, as it would of course be confusing to wake up at the wrong end of the bed. But nonetheless, it is quite a humorous and unusual experience, as I now remember.
Regards
Ethan
I’m not sure if I have it or not but I am constantly waking up and looking at my alarm clock and it says 3am or something but I’ll truly believe it says something completely different like 5am. And sometimes I’ll wake up and just stare at my fore arm or stomach and I’ll feel it because I don’t think it’s mine and i feel like it’s not me lol.
Hi C
Thanks for your comment. It’s hard to say, but what you describe does appear to fall into the realm of confusional arousals. That must be a very strange experience indeed waking up and feeling like your limbs aren’t your own! How long does it take before everything feels back to normal, or do you usually fall asleep again?
Regards
Ethan
I often have an IDD experience. If I have been out in the evening, when I am back at home and asleep , I am convinced I’m still with the people I’ve been out with so I stay in a sort of semi awake state. I’m not asleep but not awake either. It can make me very tired the next day. When this happens I am utterly convinced the people are there with me. I then worry about being seen in my night clothes. I tend to laugh it off but just wondered what it is and has anyone else experienced anything like it?
Hi Cherise,
Thanks for your comment, and for sharing your experiences. I haven’t personally had anything similar to that happen on an on-going basis. Though I do remember once having a dream where I thought people were in the room and then when I woke up for a moment I was quite confused as to where they had all gone.
It’s possible that you’re experiencing a blurring of the dream state and awake state. This could be when waking up from a dream, perhaps having a confusional arousal. Or it could be that you are sleeping lightly, and going in and out of a similar dream during the night. It’s hard to say!
It’s a shame that it’s leaving you tired, whatever it may be. The main thing is not to worry about it. Perhaps you could try doing something, such as relaxation exercises, before bed to take your mind away from the night out that you’ve had. Perhaps if you can put relaxing but mundane thoughts into your head, you won’t be thinking about the people in your dreams.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment
Ethan