Sleepwalking
101
I learned a lot about sleepwalking when I was doing the
research for my book, Dream Walker. Sleepwalking is a fascinating sleep disorder
in which people carry out complex behaviors while still in the deepest part of
the sleep cycle. Sleepwalkers’ eyes are
often open, and they can even speak with you.
The next morning, though, they’ll carry no memory of their actions. Sleepwalking can be harmless if sleepers are
in a familiar environment, but their behavior can be dangerous to others or
themselves if not addressed.
Here are ten things I learned:
1) According to the National Sleep Foundation,
sleepwalking occurs in 1-15% of the population.
2) Sleepwalking is more common in children and
can run in families.
3) Waking a sleepwalker can lead to confusion
and anger, but you should gently
guide a sleepwalker back to bed.
4) Sleepwalking is not someone acting out their
dreams. If the behavior happens early in
the night, during deep sleep, it’s typically sleepwalking. If it happens later, during the dream state,
it can be REM behavior disorder (RBD).
That’s when people act out their dreams.
5) Sleepwalking can be triggered by stress,
sleep deprivation, alcohol, or anything that can cause you to wake up more
easily.
6) Sleepwalkers often find bruises that they
can’t remember getting, because they run into things while walking in their
sleep. They often take care to close
drawers, push in chairs, or tuck away things over which they might trip.
7) People don’t just sleepwalk. There have been cases of sleep driving, sleep
texting, sleep sex, and other really complex behaviors.
8) People who live alone might not even know
they sleepwalk, unless they wake up during the middle of it or find evidence of
their nightly actions.
9) There is no treatment for sleepwalking, other
than getting better sleep. Sleep
medications like Ambien have even been known to exacerbate sleepwalking.
10) One trick sleepwalkers use is to tie a bell to
their door to wake them or others if they try to leave the room.
This piece by the Today
Show has a lot of good information on the sleep disorder. Have you ever sleepwalked?
Dream Walker
Dream Weavers
Book 2
Kimberly Dean
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tiger Eye Productions, LLC
Date of Publication: 9-29-15
ISBN: 978-0-9846511-8-4
ASIN: B01507U570
Word Count: 67,000 words
Cover Artist: Kim Killion
Book Description:
Research scientist Shea Caldwell has always had a thing for security consultant, Derek Oneiros. He’s smart, handsome, and built like a Greek god. As attracted as she is to him, though, she’s afraid to let him into her bed – because she’s dangerous when she sleeps.
Derek is known among his brothers as “The Machine,” yet his carefully cultivated control is put to the test whenever he’s around Shea. The woman is as beautiful as she is intelligent, but they’ve always kept things professional – until Derek learns why. Shea is sleepwalking again, but what she doesn’t know is that he may be the only one who can help her. For he is a Greek daemon, and he’s charged with protecting her dreams.
With Shea threatened, Derek makes things personal, and their nights together turn steamy and intimate. He’s ready to battle against the Somnambulist that’s been controlling his lover in her sleep, yet is the night creature really causing all the harm? When Shea’s groundbreaking research notes are stolen, it’s clear that other evil forces may be at work.
Excerpt:
He’d let her
fall asleep.
It was the first
clear thought that ran through Shea’s mind when she opened her eyes. That and
the fact that Derek was still with her. His heat pressed against her back, and
his arm draped heavily across her waist. They were lying side by side on her
bed, her body tucked up close against his.
Yet even as she
responded in pleasure, she tensed.
Darkness was
falling. They’d spent the day making love, and now the sun was setting. Night
was creeping in. She stared at the oil painting that hung on the wall until her
nerves began to crawl. Even the littlest thing could set her Somnambulist
off—and today had been anything but normal—yet she’d let herself be lulled into
sleep.
What had she
been thinking?
“There you are,”
a deep voice rumbled. The hand against her stomach flexed, and she was pulled
more tightly against the big male form behind her.
A muscled thigh
slipped between her legs, and Shea arched as a soft kiss was placed on the side
of her neck. The intimate embrace had her groaning. Obviously, she hadn’t been
thinking. Her brain had been shorted out, disconnected, and thrown right into
the bathwater.
How could she
have let her guard down like that? The freedom had been fantastic, arousing and
intoxicating as fine wine, but how could she have forgotten what had been
happening to her? What had happened just this morning?
Had she… Oh,
God. Had she done anything in her sleep? With Derek here?
“How long have I
been out?” she asked in a rush.
“Not long.”
That rumbling
voice was too disconcerting, too sexy. She had to look into his eyes. Tucking
the sheet up high under her arms, she rolled over to face him. When she did,
her breath caught in her chest. His short hair was mussed, and dark shadows
lined his jaw. The bad boy look didn’t fit his character, but it was so
incredibly hot she had to press her legs together.
Unable to help
herself, she let her gaze drop. She took in the well-drawn lines of his body,
his muscled chest and rippling abs, but the sheet sitting low on his hips
wasn’t what made her look up again. It was the relaxed look on his face. She’d
never seen him so calm, so relaxed, so at ease in the moment. It made her belly
warm.
Relaxed had to
be good, right? If she’d gotten up and danced zombie pirouettes around the
bedroom, he wouldn’t be relaxed.
Or so obviously
ready to make love to her again.
About the Author:
When taking the Myers-Briggs personality test in high school, Kimberly was rated as an INFJ (Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging). This result sent her into a panic, because there were no career paths recommended for the type. Fortunately, it turned out to be well-suited to a writing career. Since receiving that dismal outlook, Kimberly has become an award-winning author of romance and erotica. She has written for seven publishing houses, both domestic and international, and has recently focused her efforts on the exciting world of self-publishing. When not writing, she enjoys movies, sports, traveling, music, and sunshine. In her mind, a beach, some rock ‘n’ roll, and a good book make for a perfect day.
Website/Blog: http://kimberlydean.com
Twitter: @KDean_writer
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1 comment:
I'm thinking it's a good thing I do not sleep walk.
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