OT: Sleepwalking advice? Help!!! :(

Sorry, this is sooo long

Ok guys, I need some opinions and my doctor is pretty much stymied.

So, as an adult I've always been prone to sleepwalking in times of stress. It was generally nothing too dramatic, I would do things like empty some towels out of linen closet and pile them neatly beside my bed, weird random stuff like that.

This past year has been incredibly stressful for me. Very long story short my (now ex) SO and I broke up last May after being together for 6 years, he had some kind of mental break, told horrible lies about me to friends and co-workers, he started stalking behaviour, I basically lived with my heart in my throat for months. So I suppose it's not surprising that the sleepwalking would;d come back and even more extreme, even though I was and am only sleeping a couple of hours a night.

When I first moved out I shared a house with a friend for a year and one day she came home from work and started teasing me, saying that now she understands why I am always so tired.
So, the story emerges (with her thinking I KNOW all of this already) that the night before I got up at 3am, turned on the oven, cooked fish and chips (which takes at least 30 minutes), set off the smoke alarm, woke my friend up to help me deal with smoke alarm, set it off AGAIN, apparently dealt with it on my own, ate my fish and chips, rinsed my plate and put it in the dishwasher and went back to bed.

I literally remember NONE of this. I remember going to bed and waking up at 6:30 am.

Since then I've had a few similar experiences, and then 2 weeks ago I woke up in my new place, where I now live alone, and some of my furniture was rearranged. Unnerving for sure, but I blew it off. The same day I noticed a deep pain in my side that I attributed to a pulled muscle from starting running again. All week long I put heat on it, but it steadily got worse until finally one morning I awoke with my entire side spasming, a sharp pain in my chest and back and unable to take a deep breath. I finally look in the damn mirror to see what's going on and I have an enormous black and purple bruise that takes up my entire lower side.

It turns out I have a broken rib, but here's the kicker: I have absolutely zero recollection of how I got it. The Dr in the emergency room and I brainstormed forever to think of anything that could be responsible, until he finally asked me "Well, do you sleepwalk?"

So now, I am pretty freaked out.

Does anyone have any advice on how to control myself while sleepwalking? An alarm clearly won't work as I slept through 2 smoke alarms and a full conversation with my roommate, and if I can sleep through breaking a rib I just can't think of anything that will be guaranteed to wake me up.
Any advice is appreciated. You guys rock!

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Oh wow. This is scary. You

Oh wow. This is scary. You could really hurt yourself (or others). I have no experience with sleepwalking. So i can't offer any advice. I hope you find a solution asap! Good luck!

I know, it's honestly the

I know, it's honestly the creepiest feeling I have ever experienced. Waking up and seeing your furniture in different places is NOT a great start to your day!

I don't know anything about

I don't know anything about sleep walking - but it seems you need to take some precautions so you don't injure yourself. I would be afraid of going outside. Maybe you could use a deadbolt with a key on the front door. Then hide it so it is very difficult to find. Maybe your sleeping self won't be able to find the key. Could you alarm the door in some way so you would wake up if you try and leave?

Check out the May Clinic website. It lists several medical reasons why you might be sleep walking - including fatigue. They say a sleep study is a good place to start. .

This has to be scary - especially when you live alone. Anyway someone could stay with you, or you with them, until you figure this out?

The deadbolt idea is very

The deadbolt idea is very good, I think I will try that. The only issue might be that I am renting so I would have to get permission form my landlord, but hopefully that shouldn't be a problem.
yes, I'm absolutely positive fatigue is a huge issue. I am coping with massive insomnia and just now starting to emerge from some massive anxiety as well.

I have slept walked

I have slept walked intermittently through my childhood and now infrequently as an adult, definitely anxiety and overtiredness worsens the condition. I would have waking nightmares but the worst I have done while sleep walking is pour nail varnish remover into my eye (my screams and pain woke me).

Are you receiving any therapy and or medication for the stress and anxiety? I think at the least a therapist would be a good idea, just to offload as it sounds like you have had an awful time. Medication may be off putting however right now you are currently at risk of hurting yourself, which you already have. The worry over the sleepwalking and the stress is clearly causing a sleepless cycle which in turn is worsening the sleepwalking, certain medication can target anxiety and assist in sleeping. Yoga is also great
for reducing stress and helping sleep, try eliminating sugar/caffeine, increase magnesium in your diet and consider upping your exercise regime!

You could,video tape,yourself

You could,video tape,yourself to see what's happening. I wonder if one of those cheap kid laser sensor spy things that sounds when you interrupt its path would wake you. Maybe so one makes some sort of sensor you can wear?

I am a very active

I am a very active sleepwalker and have been since I was a kid. Do you have a lock on your bedroom door? just a regular lock so you can possibly trick yourself for a couple weeks before it becomes a habit. It might be enough to deter you from walking out your bedroom door.

Only things that have helped me is reducing stress and getting enough sleep. The more tired and/or stressed I am the more I sleepwalk. My husband knows now when I am sleepwalking and tells me I am sleeping and I NEED TO GO TO BED!. I usually resist and scream back that I am not sleeping and he needs to take me seriously because I really need to find this imaginary dog or cat or frog ( I search the house for animals)

Doctors can prescribe sleep medication. I took one when I was a teenager since me walking out of a group home was a big no no. I can't remember the name but I never had dreams and felt like I never quite got enough sleep.

Maybe you could let your room mate know to gently ask you to go to bed if you are up at strange hours doing strange things. It is hard because to someone who doesn't know you look and act as if you are completely awake and aware of everything that is going on. Like I said I am very adamant that I am NOT sleepwalking and need to be told a few times to go to bed. I have never woken up and gone on a rampage. I have woken up very confused as to why I am standing in my closet trying to climb an invisible ladder. I get my barrings and go back to bed lol.

They say to put a bell on the door way. You can find a cheap window alarm at Wal-mart in the hardware section. I have never tried this so not sure it would work but I think it would be worth a shot.

***

I do not sleep walk, but my

I do not sleep walk, but my son does. I have never actually managed to wake him up, I always just lead him back to bed and he has no recollection in the morning. Once, when he was 2 he managed to let himself outside in the middle of a snow storm at 3am in just a diaper. Only reason I woke up was because I heard the back door banging in the wind. He was just wandering around our driveway.

I put deadbolts up high where he could not reach, and he would just wander around his room. He still hurt himself a few times, and since I have lived on my own, he sleeps in my bed with me. That way at least I wake up when he gets up wandering - a few weeks ago he got up and was screaming at me as he attempted to poop in my shower!!!

I do not sleep walk, but my

Lol!!! now THAT I have never

Lol!!! now THAT I have never done!!!

You guys are awesome, thanks

You guys are awesome, thanks so much for all the great input.

Oh my goodness, Pinki, you made me laugh so hard with your imaginary ladder and your lost cat

Ok, so, my new place is pretty much one large open space and the bedroom is separated by a sliding door that looks very funky and cool but is absolutely useless in terms of locking myself in. There would be nowhere to put a lock, unfortunately. I have considered videotaping myself, I'm just not sure where to start. Can you buy a motion sensing camera for not a lot of money?? I have to admit I worry that i find watching the footage a little creepy though

I unfortunately can't have a pet at the moment because I am renting ( which sucks...I would looove a fur baby). I suppose I have a couple of people who I could stay with sporadically or have stay with me, but unfortunately all of my friends have lives and shit (those assholes so it would be pretty random.

I could try and alarm on the door, maybe if it was a certain pitch that I am not familiar with it might get through to me in my sleep?

I don't take Ambien; I have heard some crazy stories about what people do while taking it, and I think that would just make my problem worse for sure

Ha, I just remembered something else; a few months ago I bought myself a chocolate bar as a treat and left it zipped into my coat pocket in the closet downstairs and when I work up the next day the empty wrapper was stuck to my face. So sad!!!!
Thanks again so much for the ideas, you guys are great

Oh my gosh, that is scary. I

Oh my gosh, that is scary. I have no advice, I have insomnia but have never walked in my sleep (that I know of).

My DH sometimes does ab crunches in his sleep! Now, if I could workout in my sleep, that would be great.

I would want to sleepwalk if

I would want to sleepwalk if I could exercise and not know it! That sounds perfect.

Yeah, that is completely

Yeah, that is completely unfair. I am eating an entire meals that I don't even get to enjoy and he is working out in his sleep? LOL that is amazing

DP has sleep issues related

DP has sleep issues related to anxiety. He'll have conversations and used to walk around the bedroom acting out his dream. It was freaky to say the least. He's better now, takes some medication at bedtime in small doses and it helps hugely. If he runs out of it I know within a couple days as he'll start waking me up again.

Have you ever seen the movie "Sleepwalk with Me?"
There are sleep disorders out there, not just stress...