Geez, friend, you don't look so good. Rough night last night?
It's no secret that Americans could use a little more shuteye. Even when you manage to hit the mattress on time, it's not as simple as counting sheep.
Sleep disorders can take those precious eight hours (or six, or four) and cut them in half - or worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10 percent of Americans experience chronic insomnia. Aside from headaches and lost productivity, lack of sleep can contribute to depression, diabetes and a host of other chronic conditions.
Suffice to say, then, that sleep disorders are no laughing (or snoozing?) matter. But sleep's a strange thing, and there's plenty about it we still don't understand - especially the really weird parts, like why your roommate just sat up at 3 a.m. and yelled about eggshells in his bed before toppling back to the pillows. Let's take a look at some of the more unusual sleep phenomena - and hopefully, knowledge firmly in hand, you'll be able to get some better sleep of your own.
Sleeptalking
Whether it's conveniently romantic, strangely scary or simply weird, talking while you sleep - properly, somniloquy - is a confusing phenomenon. Sometimes your partner will mutter a pretty little "love you" as their head rests against yours, and sometimes they'll shoot bolt upright and howl something about a giant toaster.
Sleeptalking is common, appearing in 50 percent of children and 5 percent of adults, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and is generally harmless - although you might terrify onlookers if you pull a Lady Macbeth.
A more fortunate (and less fictional) sleep-talker was Dion McGregor, a songwriter who apparently narrated his dreams as if carrying on a conversation. In 1967, an LP was released of his slumbering monologue, with follow-up albums in 1999 and 2004. Seems like a good gig - compose hits during the day, and continue spouting album-quality material at night.
Exploding head syndrome
No, it's not as cool as it sounds. But it sounds really cool. "Exploding head syndrome" is merely the colloquial name for another weird sleep phenomenon. While sleeping, some folks are awakened by a noise described as being "a loud bang."
It's not harmful in and of itself, but it often startles sleepers awake with a palpable sense of fright - perhaps akin to nightmares that leave you in cold sweats. If the syndrome is causing great anxiety and significantly affecting sleep, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends seeing a sleep professional.
The effect has also been described "a clash of cymbals" or "a bomb exploding." I've gotten the last one, I think, generally accompanied by visions of everyone I know dying in a nuclear holocaust. Sheesh, man.
Sexsomnia
Conversely, I'm surprised nobody has come up with a slicker name for this one. As you may have guessed, sexsomnia is a sleep disorder that can cause people to engage in sexual activity - from gentle touching to dry humping to the whole shebang. It falls under the same category as sleepwalking; namely, it's a parasomnia, or a sleep disorder involving abnormal behaviors during sleep.
Now, it's not hard to imagine a harmless form of this disorder - the kind that involves consenting adults, rueful giggles and possibly further explorations of the weirdness of sex. Unfortunately, sexsomnia often results in much more dangerous activities - one BBC story quoted an Australian man whose wife left the house while sleeping and had sex with strangers, while sexsomnia has also been cited as a mitigating factor in rape cases. Given the risky nature of the behavior involved, sexsomnia is potentially more severe than other forms of sleepwalking. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that any individual experiencing sleepwalking symptoms see a doctor or a sleep specialist.
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