home
RSS
1 in 7 suffer from sleep 'drunkenness'
August 25th, 2014
05:51 PM ET

1 in 7 suffer from sleep 'drunkenness'

Have you ever answered the phone in the morning to discover it was actually your alarm clock going off, or had a conversation in the middle of the night and woken up the next day with no recollection of it?

A new study suggests you are not alone. Researchers found many of us have had a similar experience in our lifetime.

The study, out Monday in the journal Neurology, says one in every seven people suffer from sleep "drunkenness" disorder, also called confusional arousal.

Confusional arousal is when a person wakes up and remains in a confused state for a certain period of time before either going back to sleep or fully waking up.

These episodes typically happen, according to the National Institutes of Health, when someone is awakened during non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is a deeper sleep period. And they're usually triggered by a forced awakening, like an alarm or phone call.

The study authors had more than 19,000 adults fill out a survey about their sleeping habits. They found 15.2% of the participants experienced one episode of confusional arousal during the past year.

Dr. Maurice Ohayon, lead study author and a sleep expert at Stanford University, was surprised by the substantial percentage. When he looked carefully, he says, he found over half of these participants have "confusional arousal one time or more a week, and that is considerable."

What's even more interesting, says Ohayon, is how long confusional arousal seems to last. While more than one third of the participants who experienced episodes once a week reported they lasted under 5 minutes, 32.3% of people said their episodes lasted between 5 and 15 minutes and 30% of people experienced episodes lasting 15 minutes or more.

If someone is experiencing these episodes, they need to let their doctors know, says Ohayon. An episode can cause violent behavior during sleep, according to the study.

"You can hurt yourself physically, hurt someone (else). You wake up irritable and possibly violent." He compares it to waking up in a hotel room - you don't know where you are or what hour it is, so your reaction or responses to the environment are not adapted.

Ohayon says shift workers, such as doctors or pilots, who nap during work and can be awakened suddenly, should block at least 15 minutes of time for their bodies to truly wake up before, say, taking command of a plane or making life-or-death decisions.

The study found that 84% of those with sleep drunkenness disorder also had another sleep disorder, a mental health disorder or were taking psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants. Less than 1% of the people with sleep drunkenness had no known cause or related condition.

Dr. David Alexander Schulman, director of the sleep lab at Emory University in Atlanta, says having these episodes isn't uncommon. "Fifteen percent sounds shocking," but when you think about it, most of us have had these type experiences.

One of the things that can make confusion arousal worse is sleep deprivation. Schulman says it's well known that American's don't sleep enough. "If you are getting less than 6 hours a night, and you are having confusional arousal, then the first thing you need to do is try getting more sleep," he says.

Schulman was skeptical of the number of participants whose episodes lasted more than 15 minutes. While he says these episodes can be common and often funny, most people don't continue to talk into the phone for 15 minutes when their alarm clock is going off.

"I'd be surprised if the episode lasted more than 15 minutes," he said. "That's one of the struggles with a subjective survey."


soundoff (3,682 Responses)
  1. معتبرترین سایت شرطبندی

    What's up, this weekend is nice in support of me, as
    this time i am reading this enormous educational piece
    of writing here at my home.

    May 4, 2021 at 18:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. معتبرترین سایت شرطبندی

    Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article.
    Many thanks for supplying these details.

    May 4, 2021 at 18:40 | Report abuse | Reply
  3. Kristina Peach

    My spouse and I stumbled over here coming from a different website and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i'm following you. Look forward to going over your web page for a second time.

    May 4, 2021 at 18:49 | Report abuse | Reply
  4. Latonya Linker

    I'm really enjoying the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A couple of my blog audience have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any recommendations to help fix this issue?

    May 4, 2021 at 19:41 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. ocean king temple 3rd visit

    Awesome! Its in fact awesome post, I have got much clear
    idea concerning from this paragraph.

    May 4, 2021 at 19:42 | Report abuse | Reply
  6. Makayla Rexford

    You need to take part in a contest for one of the most useful sites on the internet. I most certainly will highly recommend this website!

    May 4, 2021 at 22:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. avana

    buy avana usa avanafil stendra

    May 4, 2021 at 22:11 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. Brigitte Gray

    I've been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of house . Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i am satisfied to express that I have a very good uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don?t put out of your mind this site and give it a glance on a continuing basis.

    May 4, 2021 at 22:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. Alva Batiste

    Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all folks you really understand what you're speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Kindly also talk over with my website =). We will have a hyperlink change arrangement between us

    May 4, 2021 at 22:40 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Marietta Laing

    Hi there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    May 4, 2021 at 23:19 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. play8oy

    All major motors like google crawls these Directories more often than not.
    To maximize your site's rankings, it critical to get back-links from sites with good page rank
    numbers.

    May 5, 2021 at 01:57 | Report abuse | Reply
  12. chloroquine over the counter uk

    cloriquine https://chloroquineorigin.com/ chloroquinw

    May 5, 2021 at 04:31 | Report abuse | Reply
  13. cách vào w88

    whoah this blog is fantastic i like reading your posts.

    Stay up the great work! You know, lots of people are looking round for this information, you can aid them greatly.

    May 5, 2021 at 06:25 | Report abuse | Reply
  14. Elvin Arndt

    Hey fantastic website! Does running a blog similar to this require a great deal of work? I have no understanding of coding however I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyway, if you have any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off subject nevertheless I just had to ask. Kudos!

    May 5, 2021 at 07:11 | Report abuse | Reply
  15. Rosie Bristow

    Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I'm trying to find out if its a problem on my end or if it's the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.

    May 5, 2021 at 07:20 | Report abuse | Reply
  16. LebnEncox

    Seroquel thrifty drug store canada pharma limited llc

    May 5, 2021 at 08:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  17. https://mbee.com.vn/dia-chi-ban-vach-ngan-ve-sinh-compact-tai-ho-chi-minh-hcm

    I visited several web pages however the audio feature for audio songs
    present at this web site is actually fabulous.

    May 5, 2021 at 09:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  18. where to buy aralen

    chloronique https://chloroquineorigin.com/ chloroquinolone

    May 5, 2021 at 09:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  19. FmrfEncox

    cialis generic overnite http://cialisee.com/ price generic cialis

    May 5, 2021 at 13:25 | Report abuse | Reply
  20. Mckinley Shears

    It's awesome in support of me to have a web page, which is useful in support of my experience. thanks admin

    May 5, 2021 at 14:09 | Report abuse | Reply
  21. Oma Shackell

    This info is priceless. When can I find out more?

    May 5, 2021 at 15:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  22. Arlette Duquette

    Wonderful article! This is the kind of information that should be shared across the net. Disgrace on the search engines for now not positioning this submit upper! Come on over and visit my web site . Thanks =)

    May 5, 2021 at 15:35 | Report abuse | Reply
  23. instagram begeni satin al

    Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe that this amazing site
    needs much more attention. I'll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the advice!

    May 5, 2021 at 16:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  24. Dexter Pell

    Remarkable! Its in fact amazing article, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this post.

    May 5, 2021 at 17:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  25. Marianne Sinnett

    What's up, its pleasant piece of writing about media print, we all be aware of media is a fantastic source of data.

    May 5, 2021 at 18:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  26. Ella Cundiff

    When someone writes an paragraph he/she maintains the idea of a user in his/her brain that how a user can know it. Therefore that's why this paragraph is amazing. Thanks!

    May 5, 2021 at 20:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  27. Jonelle Sturdivant

    For the reason that the admin of this site is working, no uncertainty very rapidly it will be famous, due to its feature contents.

    May 6, 2021 at 02:58 | Report abuse | Reply
  28. Leanne Toomey

    You ought to take part in a contest for one of the best sites online. I'm going to highly recommend this blog!

    May 6, 2021 at 03:04 | Report abuse | Reply
  29. instagram takipçi satın al

    Can I just say what a relief to uncover someone that genuinely
    knows what they are discussing online. You definitely realize how to
    bring an issue to light and make it important.
    More people should look at this and understand this side of the story.

    I was surprised you are not more popular given that you surely possess the
    gift.

    May 6, 2021 at 03:28 | Report abuse | Reply
  30. Michaela Mowery

    Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your website by accident (stumbleupon). I have bookmarked it for later!

    May 6, 2021 at 03:36 | Report abuse | Reply
  31. Daniel Martinovich

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts about trisha henry – cnn medical producer. Regards

    May 6, 2021 at 04:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  32. dapoxetine

    dapoxetine pharmacy priligy price

    May 6, 2021 at 04:54 | Report abuse | Reply
  33. Clarice Odum

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer for your blog. You have some really great articles and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Cheers!

    May 6, 2021 at 05:13 | Report abuse | Reply
  34. Kim Forwood

    The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a forty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

    May 6, 2021 at 05:56 | Report abuse | Reply
  35. Stefan Holt

    excellent post, very informative. I ponder why the opposite experts of this sector don't understand this. You should proceed your writing. I am confident, you've a huge readers' base already!

    May 6, 2021 at 06:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  36. Mckinley Loewenthal

    I always spent my half an hour to read this web site's articles everyday along with a mug of coffee.

    May 6, 2021 at 06:31 | Report abuse | Reply
  37. LbsoZisse

    cialis pills low price http://ucialisdas.com/ buy cialis in mexico

    May 6, 2021 at 06:37 | Report abuse | Reply
  38. Vicky Espinal

    Hey very interesting blog!

    May 6, 2021 at 06:50 | Report abuse | Reply
  39. Kimber Her

    Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of info on your page. Im really impressed by your site.
    Hi there, You have performed an excellent job. I will certainly digg it and individually suggest to my friends. I'm sure they will be benefited from this web site.

    May 6, 2021 at 06:56 | Report abuse | Reply
  40. Jerry Eng

    constantly i used to read smaller articles which also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading now.

    May 6, 2021 at 07:10 | Report abuse | Reply
  41. Whitney Nuyts

    Hello, all the time i used to check webpage posts here in the early hours in the dawn, for the reason that i enjoy to learn more and more.

    May 6, 2021 at 07:27 | Report abuse | Reply
  42. CharlesMob

    Такая квартира почти всегда выглядит чистой и не требует многочасовой уборки из-за значительно меньшего количества безделушек. Также в такой квартире стоит позаботиться о SMART-решениях, которые позволят вам дистанционно управлять светом или замками, но также позволят спрятать телевизор или кухонную технику в здании. Если современный стиль все еще кажется вам загадкой, ознакомьтесь с предложениями интерьеров в этом стиле, которые предлагают архитекторы в Интернете. Подробнее смотрите на портале gde-vzyatkredit.ru.

    May 6, 2021 at 08:26 | Report abuse | Reply
  43. Andra Inglis

    Wow, this article is pleasant, my sister is analyzing these kinds of things, so I am going to inform her.

    May 6, 2021 at 08:30 | Report abuse | Reply
  44. Rosie Slaughter

    For the reason that the admin of this website is working, no uncertainty very shortly it will be well-known, due to its quality contents.

    May 6, 2021 at 08:56 | Report abuse | Reply
  45. Sharyl Olvera

    Hello, all is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that's genuinely fine, keep up writing.

    May 6, 2021 at 10:38 | Report abuse | Reply
  46. Hortense Greco

    Thanks to my father who told me regarding this web site, this blog is in fact remarkable.

    May 6, 2021 at 10:54 | Report abuse | Reply
  47. Gary Ramm

    Thank you for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your further post thanks once again.

    May 6, 2021 at 11:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  48. Quincy Brenner

    Hi I am so glad I found your website, I really found you by mistake, while I was researching on Google for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the great b.

    May 6, 2021 at 11:39 | Report abuse | Reply
  49. Rob Mcdowell

    The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!

    May 6, 2021 at 11:58 | Report abuse | Reply
  50. Tesha Ornelas

    Its like you learn my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, such as you wrote the e-book in it or something. I feel that you simply can do with some % to power the message house a bit, however instead of that, that is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I'll definitely be back.

    May 6, 2021 at 12:21 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73

Leave a Reply to grihin


 

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.