Confusional Arousals And Sleep Drunkenness

confusional arousals cartoon

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.

chart showing the results of a poll into the frequency people experience confusional arousals

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.

658 Comments

  1. This happens to me mostly when I’m drunk not even that drunk but tipsy, 1st time this happened came home went to bed with my gf slept was woken up by my gf babe woke up when I opened my eyes TV was face first on the floor, secondly I pooped on the floor funny part I don’t even remember doing such it doesn’t end there on the left side of my bed the TVs down, bottom of my bed I pooped and on the right side I peed all over my sneakers n second time I started peeing on the floor n sneakers like 4 times drunk n sober, and I’m still lost on how I can do such disgusting things I’m even scared of falling asleep sometimes just wish I could sleep at the toilet wonder what’s causing this need hellp

  2. Earlier today I accidentally fell asleep on my couch. I’m guessing i was asleep for about an hour. Apparently my brother tried waking me up to ask me a question and I started freaking out and yelling/ screaming at him. A few minutes later I woke up extremely confused. For some reason I started panicking and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing. I also forgot almost everything I did when I got home that day. I still felt all foggy and like I was dreaming for awhile after. This feeling I got was so weird am I’m still trying to figure out what happened.

  3. I woke up last night so confused to where I was, I panicked and walked across the room to look out the window, and still didn’t know. I picked up my phone and looked at my gps to figure it out. I had to actually use google maps to calm myself. Talk about weird.

  4. It’s called parasomnia I’m pretty sure and it involves confusion arousals, sleep terrors, sleepwalking, etc.

    On to my experiences.

    Last night I woke up and my TV was off (I hate the dark without noise) I got up and got my DVD player remote for some reason. I was convinced I needed it in order to turn my tv on. I got back in bed and started hitting the power button for it and I didn’t understand why my tv wasn’t turning on and I got angry. I got up and turned my lamp on and did it again. I heard the DVD player turn on and the red light on it came on and it scared me. Idk really what happened next but I threw it on the stool by my bed and grabbed my actual tv remote and turned it on then immediately fell asleep on my bed.

    Next, a few months ago, I woke up with my tv off again and I started using my hand doing weird motions at my tv thinking it was the remote for some reason and I got angry and gave up and went to sleep. I remember waking up the next morning and thinking wtf is wrong with me.

    Then during another time, I woke up with my tv off and grabbed my remote and started pressing a million buttons at the same time.

    My dad has told me I wake up screaming sometimes (night terrors) and I have no memory of it. I didn’t really believe it until one night I woke up on my back with my hand stretched out like I was trying to grab something and I sat up involuntarily and was about to scream like my mouth was open but I stopped myself once I realized what I was doing.

  5. Of the last year i have started waking up during the night and not recognizing my partner, i panic and get out of bed and put clothes on. Its like i think hes someone else and it takes me to get dressed and look at him from out of the bed to realize its him.
    Sometimes i also wake up in a panic that i need to find something
    Eg a pair of socks i thought i was wearing but wasnt, i get out of bed and search the room for these random items
    Am i crazy?

    • I go through long periods of time when this doesn’t happen at all….but then it comes back again. I wake up in the middle of the night and have no idea where I am or whose in bed with me. I’ve been married for 30 years —it’s only ever been the one guy in bed with me. I used to panic. I would gasp and recoil as if there was a stranger. My heart would be racing and then slowly it would all come back to me. Now it doesn’t panic me anymore. It’s become sort of novel. I still don’t know whose in bed with me but I don’t care so much. I had a new one the other night…I woke up and wondered who the old man was in the house. (that old man is my husband) But I was a much younger person and saw him as a very old man. My one concern is that this is the first stages of dementia.

  6. I’m sorry but this is not what I was looking for yet this is the first thing to pop up does anyone get told they are saying things they did not say and then go back to sleep and not remember in the morning cause my sister keeps bringing up the same thing in an argument that I was swearing and yelling at her and my grandmother yet I don’t remember and I swear I didn’t do anything of the sort yet no one believes me so it must be true although neither of us have any proof whether it’s a lie or not and I’m pretty sure if I sleep in my sister won’t actually do anything cause she enjoys when I get in trouble for this either way I googled it to find out if it’s a real thing and have yet to find anything

    • Yea that’s exactly what happens to me. It has and is causing problems between my bf and I. I guess I wake up and yell and swear at him and I’m “totally awake” according to him and then I go back to sleep. I missed court yesterday b/c of it. I’ve missed or been super late to numerous appt’s. Seriously causing serious problems for me and idk what to do or how to fix it.

  7. Hi Ethan,

    I struggle with anxiety and panic. The last couple nights I have had what I think are confusional arousals. The first night I woke up and couldn’t remember something (I don’t even remember what it was.) This sent me into a panic that I was losing my memory.

    The next night was more bizarre. I woke up, felt scared, laid in bed for a couple minutes and then went to the bathroom. I felt awake and remember everything, but started having really bizarre thoughts (basically about not being human… Almost as if I was thinking my limbs could separate and all be in a different place at once, but all still be connected to my brain.)

    The panic episode following this wasn’t as bad but still unnerving. I’m now anxious about going “crazy.”

    Is this still sleep drunkenness or something else?

    • Hi Joel
      Thanks for your comment. It’s hard to say if it’s confusional arousals, or anxiety, or perhaps a bit of both. Have you spoken to anyone about it, or sought professional help for your anxiety?
      Regards
      Ethan

      • Hello, I have been waking up with with toys or other items in my hands and I can’t understand why!!! I also come to doing weird things aswell, it’s very strange and it’s getting kinda scary aswell. As a matter of fact I came too last night standing in my kitchen with a cigarette smoked all the way to the butt in one hand and an empty pack in the other, I was just standing there really confused. That’s why I am speaking out cause now I am scared…….

    • I go through something similar to this. It can be very disturbing. For me I will wake up and it’s almost like some part of my dream follows me into the waking world. Usually it is an idea. I will be fully awake (it feel that way) but my thoughts remain outside the realm of possibility. It is usually accompanied by an intense feeling of unease and anxiety or paranoia. Almost as though something is lurking just beyond my senses. The ideas can be ridiculous or even funny but because of the feeling that comes with them it’s impossible to find them way for me. The last time it happened I knew my cat was plotting to kill me and I spent the first 15-20 minutes awake watching her and taking to her about how I loved her but I still knew what she was planning. I had probably been awake half an hour before I realized it couldn’t be real. By that time the damage had been done and I could not even sleep with the light of for 24 hours.

      I suffer from severe idiopathic insomnia (they suspect it’s related to a chronic health condition I have) . During the summer I suffer from insomnia “attacks” where I will go weeks only getting an hour or two a night. The first time I suffered from one of these weird anxiety dream idea episodes I had been unable to really sorry for several weeks. I was diagnosed with sleep deprivation and hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia as a result of it. I had to sleep with a night light for months after that one because the anxiety would prefer in on me from the dark. Traditional sleep medications don’t work on me. Ultimately I was prescribed Seroquel for sleep. I only take it when I’m suffering from either extreme insomnia or the episodes. It does work. This last year I’ve also been in Prednisone for my chronic condition and did not have any episodes until I was taken of it.

      The mind is a sensitive organ an can be greatly affected by seemingly unrelated issues. If you have any physical health issues get those treated to see if your sleep improves. Otherwise I would request a sleep aid. Possibly one that can also be used to treat hallucinations and such as well such as Seroquel.

      I also have other sleep issues such as she upon being woken. I usually remember these episodes and they bother me because I can remember feeling the anger course through my body. It feels right on the edge of violence, which scares me. But this seems unrelated to the issues described above for me.

  8. I dont know if this is relatable to this whole article but i was hoping somebody could give me answers. I used to wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying that my hands were on fire and i was burning (i wasn’t) my mom always tried to calm me down. It often happened. I also used to wake up and start forming shapes with my hands and panicing about them and that everything in the room is too much and id start throwing pillows off bed and panicing??? Makes no sense to me either. But the first part is a real concern could somebody help me??

  9. I experienced that a few times. The worst I think was when my sister woke me up so that I could sleep on my bed . She said I was screaming then I started hitting her with pillow. Then after that I just lied down again as if nothing happened. The next morning she told me how I acted the other night and she was laughing coz I was acting crazy and I didn’t even remember even a bit .

  10. I thought I woke in the middle of the night and was being assaulted. I managed to ring 999 (112) as my phone was beside my bed. I was put through to emergency services and was giving my details when I realised that I was ok and woke up and apologised to the policeman.. I was really frightened as I recognised the assailant who was attacking me with a Stanley knife around my feet. This is the worst experience I have had. I have had minor occurrences where I have had loud incoherent conversations with my wife who was not beside me when the recent episode happened.

  11. so i was sleeping with my boyfriend for 3 years..only to wakeup in the middle of the night to be scared of him. i did not recognise who he was or where i was, after few minutes i remembered and went back to sleep. happened twice or thrice with him. one time i was scared my cousin as i stared for so long at her because i was trying to remember who she was. this is getting out of hand for me..

  12. My 10 year old son will wake up and act really strange. Just now he woke up and walked in his brothers room. I heard them talking so I went out to check on them and my son was in tears saying he missed me but he didn’t want to wake me up. He was wandering around the room breathing heavy. I asked him what he was doing and he said I’m lying down. I just miss you but I didn’t want to wake you up. Then he said I’m so scared.
    I asked him if he wanted to sleep with me and he said yes. I had to walk him to my bed, he laid down and the minute he laid down he was breathing heavy and asleep already.
    Is this considered confusional arousals?

    He does these things about 3-5 times a month.

    • Hi kristan
      Thanks for your comment. It sounds it could be, but there’s also the possibility of it being sleep walking. Are you certain he’s awake when he does these things?
      Regards
      Ethan

  13. I keep waking thinking I’m at work and worrying what they’ll think of me being naked/in my p.js! I try to stay alert to my ‘job’ then tell myself I’m in my room and it’s ok to drift back off. I even picked up a pen and paper one night!

  14. Last night freaked me out a bit because I was fully awake reading an article on my laptop. I was in bed, room was dark except for the light emanating from the screen. I glanced away and I remember thinking how dark it was and that’s when it happened. I lost the sense of where I was. I was suddenly in my old bed, same position, in my old apartment that I moved out of 3 months ago. Everything about my old room was EXACTLY how it used to be, but it just didn’t make sense because part of me knew it’s not possible to be there when I’m here in my own bed. A few minutes after I gained my bearings and assured myself I was in my new apartment, it happened again! The only times this has happened was right upon wakening in a new place (like a hotel room when traveling for business), but that makes sense to me because of I’m used to sleeping in the same spot. This has never happened while I was AWAKE! I really hope I don’t have a brain disorder.

  15. One time I awoke about 4:00 am and notice my pillow cover was off my pillow and was placed on my night stand this was confusing because I don’t have any memory of me doing that

  16. Lately I’ve been waking up and feeling the need to do strange things, per example, I woke up at 5 one morning and felt the need to clean my room and go for a shower and fell back to sleep when I was done,I once felt the need to rearrange my drawers in the middle of the night and again fell back asleep when the task was done, the most recent one being I woke up and felt the need to repeat a story although I had no idea what this story was about, this made me anxious and I had a tight feeling in my chest and when I tried to fall back asleep I would jolt awake. I have no idea why this is happening or what this is as there seems to be no answers online and I do not feel the need to visit a doctor yet.

  17. Once my mum touched me and I immediately stood up, started screaming and held my hands up for protection.

    She thinks I’m going insane now.

  18. Usually the situation for me is I forget something but I know something great or bad happened the last night but I cant remember exactly and I will think.hard just to remember what happened. Also after I ate dinner I ofter forget whats our viand.or even other things. I have depression for more than a year now. And im really worried.

  19. I often jump out of bed about an hour after falling asleep, convinced that it’s time to wake up. I struggle to tell the time and it takes me a while before I realise its still the middle of the night. Yesterday, I got half way through a shower before my husband found me. I suppose he must have woken me up although it’s hard to tell whether I’m asleep or awake during these episodes. This one really shook me up… What if I went further and got in the car? It used to be funny and now it’s getting troubling. Nice to know I’m not alone and I can show this article to my doctor in case they haven’t heard of it before. Thanks!

  20. I wake up, knowing i am on route to the toilet but often think i am in a different room. This is complicated as we live in a rural area so know street lighting so visual clues are nil, only light is a plug in in living room that is directly off our bedroom, its a small cottage. Odd feeling as i am not fully awake, know where i am going, often feel for a light switch that isn’t there, i think i am in a different room remember and if my wife speaks or anything else disturbs whatever state i am in i am back to reality at once.

  21. I’d always thought it was normal to wake up not remembering much at first. After all, you’ve been asleep for hours. But I’ve heard that’s not the case.

    When I wake up, it takes time to understand what day it is, what I’m supposed to be doing, etc. Sometimes I don’t even remember who I am for a few minutes. My husband sometimes wakes me up to tell me things before heading to work. I can’t figure out why he thinks that’s a good time to tell me anything.

    I don’t walk or talk in my sleep. I’m a very heavy sleeper. I do have anxiety, executive dysfunction, and Autism. And it seems to happen more when I get a full night’s sleep and am allowed to wake on my own.

  22. Woke up, showered, got dressed, was driving to get my morning coffee, only to realize it was 2:30am, not 6am. First time this have ever happened, scary.

  23. I seem to wake up trying to find the door to go to the bathroom and I search all over the walls for the door and then I find it , but I do not turn the lights on cause I don’t want to wake my wife up. My wife has woken up and ask me what I was doing and I told her twice that I don’t know and once that I was lost. My wife told me she found me looking out the window but with my eyes closed and tears in my eyes. I remember 90% of these episodes.

  24. Hi I was watching the cricket and I fell asleep in my man cave on the couch It felt Like I teleported to a house sitting in front of a window and then a bright light came over and I started to levitate in the air at that time my body was shaking my heart was racing and I was tearing up and then i was back in the shed not knowing what was going on.
    I saw a shadow as well very strange freaked me out I think I might of been lucid dreaming.

  25. One time, I had fallen asleep in the living room and my sister woke me up in the middle of the room and told me to go to my room then instead of going to my own room, I went to my sister’s and she had her friends in there and I sat on the side of the bed for 5 seconds before going to my own room.

  26. This has happened twice in the past few months were I wake up not knowing where I am and I get up trying to find the door, it’s so weird and eventually I realise I’m in my bedroom and then go back to bed but it’s like I’m sleep waking for the first half and then suddenly realise what I’m doing but remember everything. The first time it happened I remember I was hyperventilating and feeling very hot and panicking because I couldn’t find the door And then finally found it (the door that leads to outside) and I was standing there for ages in the cool breeze then closed the door and went back to bed and remembered doing it in the morning
    It’s really weird! and then the other time I don’t remember getting up but I remember frantically trying to find the door to escape and once I opened it I closed it straight away and went back to bed and I’m surprised I didn’t fall over trying to find it I had my laundry basket on the floor right in the middle of we’re I would have walked
    Why is this happening!

  27. I needed to reasearch this because just recently (in the last two weeks), on separate occasions, both my husband and I have woken at some weird hour in the night not knowing where we were or even who we were, it happened to me first and him later. We were both creeped out by it. Neither of us are on any medications or drugs. We do like to drink beer/ wine every week so we’ve decided to cut that out for now after the events. We also just moved to a new home in state that we are both new to so maybe it’s a factor because it has been very stressful and a huge adjustment for all of us. It’s just strange in such a close proximatey of time we have each had this exact thing happen and it’s scary. Glad to read that it is unlikely dementia or early ahlzimers though..

  28. I’ve had actually hallucinations and ive woken up telling my partner to not move and acting scared, and I’ve seen structured spider webs flying through the air and all sorts. It scares me how confused I get :( I also speek rubbish and don’t make sense sometimes. I’m not on medication and dont have any other sleep disorders apart from sleep paralysis.

    • I also see weird stuff flying around me at night! Shapes and colors mostly. Sometimes it looks like tissue paper sometimes it looks like a bunch of metal gears. I always try to grab at them. So strange and very difficult to explain to other people.

  29. Hi. I have early parkinsons disease. Í often find myself coming to after a nod off & talking rhe most stupid gibberish. Is this a part of the disease, or am I experiencing some sort of tia

    • Hi Di
      Thanks for your comment. It’s something I’d definitely mention to your doctor to get their opinion. Some people do wake up talking gibberish with confusional arousals, and don’t have Parkinson’s. But equally, they could be connected. It’s something only your doctor can really advise you properly on.
      Rgards
      Ethan

  30. I have been waking up in the middle of the night in a panic because I think I have forgotten to do something that was very important and it might cause harm to me or someone else. It has happened so often in the last 2 months that while I’m trying to figure out what it is that I forgot, I decide that I need to write down my evening routine, so that if I wake up like that again, I can read the routine and realize everything is OK.

    • Catherine, I get that a good few times a week. I jolt upright and I’m convinced I’ve forgotten something really important and something that will affect my health. I sit there for a minute or so and go through things in my head and realize that everything is as it should be. I would describe it as feeling like something is missing also. I do take medication which can cause this. It’s a real horrible feeling.

  31. I also think this is pretty funny at first. But what I really hate is explaining why I did such things that time I was having an episode. People not suffering from this can’t understand that I didn’t mean to do what I did and kept forcing their opinions on me. What am I supposed to do? It’s not like I’m willingly doing it, I can’t even remember any it. I always end up in an argument where the other part can’t understand that at that time you were talking to me but I wasn’t really there, wasn’t really conscious of it. Yes at times it could be funny but, some people are just too insensitive to think that “hey, she can’t remember any of it, maybe she did not mean to do such a thing.”

  32. I had a pretty serious one last week. My bus ride to work is about an hour. I fell asleep on the bus on the way to work, a very deep sleep. For no apparent reason, I got off at the wrong bus stop in downtown Atlanta. I was disoriented, in a brain fog and felt detached from reality. I wandered in the opposite direction in which I should have gone and into a dangerous neighborhood. It was 6AM and still dark. When I told my daughter about it she asked why I didn’t call her. I was so disoriented, it wasn’t even something I thought about. I never thought about using my phone to navigate or to stop until I could gather my thoughts. I just kept walking. Very scary and very dangerous. I’m lucky nothing happened to me. By the time it was over I had walked about two miles. I finally made it to work and was exhausted the rest of the day. I’ve had the episodes at home before but never in a situation like this. I’m doing everything to not fall asleep on the bus again. BTW I do have sleep apnea.

  33. I think I’ve had this too! Last night I woke up thinking I had a earring stuck in my ear so I jumped out of bed and put the light on, looked in the mirror then realised there was no earring there and I got confused as to why i was thinking that, then went back to sleep! The other night I woke up and I was putting my pillows on the floor and thinking I was talking to someone on the phone at the same time( I had been on the phone for a while earlier) it happens quite a bit! One time I woke up and I was peaking through my door trying to see who was outside of it and then I realised what I was doing and felt confused! I woke up to imagining something was in my bed and I was trying to find it then realised there was nothing there… I don’t understand it I have no mental problems, my sleep pattern is ok, I get anxiety but not serious or a lot? A few months a go I woke up seeing a black figure in my room that’s just faded away then I went back to sleep(not scared) other times I’ve seen someone standing in my room and I thought it was my mum so I was asking what she was doing, put the light on, no one there so I don’t think too much of it and go back to sleep, I just don’t understand how I can get up and walk around while in that state? It’s so strange!

  35. I started folding laumdry while sleeping last night. There is a small blanket on the bed for our dog. She was covered up but I kept pulling and folding it. My wife woke me up so stopped
    Seconds later back to sleep and continued. Again she woke me and I rolled over so my hands would be away from the blanket
    Again back to sleep and tried folding the comforter. I could see and feel me doing it but still asleep
    This all occurred between 5 and 6am. I gave up and got out of bed. Has never happened to me before.

  36. RECENTLY, I HAVE HAD TO EPISODES OF CONFUSION. I WORK NIGHT SHIFT AND I TAKE A 30 MINUTE NAP ON MY BREAK. AT THE END OF THE NIGHT I HAVE TO CHART DOWN WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MY PATIENTS. I READ MY NOTES AND THERE WAS A LINE THAT SAID ” PT WAS STARTED ON 4 OF CPAP AND WAS A BEAUTIFUL MAN NAMED ALICE. OK, I DO SLEEP TESTS AND STARTING A PT ON 4 OF CPAP IS NORMAL BUT THERE WAS NOT A BEAUTIFUL MAN NOR ANYONE NAMED ALICE. I WAS SO CONFUSED BECUASE I DONT REMEMBER WRITING IT.THEN, A FEW NIGHTS LATER AT HOME, I WOKE UP WITHOUT A SHIRT ON. I DONT REMEMBER TAKING IT OFF.

  37. I wake up often blurring all kinds of crap! Im on holiday and ive just woke my niece up cos i was trying to take the steps off her bunk bed …. shes not happy!! I whent bk to sleep and ive just woke up again thinking abwt her shouting at me!!

  38. I don’t know if it’s a sleep thing or what but I woke up wrote something down and the utensils I used to write weren’t by my bed I do not remember doing it the only thing I have that I know I did it is these weird words I wrote on this napkin that is not in my writing and I can not read it this all does not make any sense to me and really I’m freaked out cause 1 why and 2 is this going to happen again or get worse please let me know if anyone has heard of this or if it is a thing

  39. For me I forget who I am where I am and with who. what surprises me is that I started having those episodes when I was 25 years. I feel like I have gone mad but after sometime, I come back to my senses.am encouraged that am not the only one. Thanks and hope it will end soon.

  40. I keep waking up thinking that I am still in work & that I’ve fallen asleep on the job. I sit up in bed, and keep telling myself to look awake. I genuinely believe I am in work and am so embarrassed that I’ve fallen asleep. I sometimes imagine my co-workers there, but not always. Eventually I get so tired that I lie back down again and fall asleep. But usually I will wake up in a panic a while later, thinking that the same thing has happened again. Eventually I’ll just fall asleep or I’ll have to look at my clock and see that it’s 2am and convince myself that I wouldn’t be in work at that time.
    It also happens sometimes after a night out. I’ll wake up still thinking that I am in the pub/nightclub & I’ve fallen asleep at the table. It is so frustrating, especially when I’m wasting a hour trying to force myself to stay awake, when there is no reason too.
    My sisters have also dealt with this experience, but not as frequently as I have. Any thoughts?

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