A recent study suggests about 15 percent or 1 in 7 American adults suffer a condition called "confusional arousal" or sleep drunkenness.
The study spearheaded by Dr. Maurice Ohayon, a physician and researcher at Stanford Medical School, was published August 25, 2014 at the website of The Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The methodology of the study involved a survey on the sleep habits of 20,000 volunteers aged 18 years old and above.
Among the surveyed volunteers, 15.2% reported having episodes of confusional arousal during the previous year. 8.6% had episodes of either partial or complete amnesia, 14.8% had confusional arousal with nocturnal wandering episodes.
Through the sampled population, the researchers also found out that individuals with irregular sleeping patters (e.g. circadian rhythm sleep disorders and those who have very long sleep duration) are more prone to the disorder than those who have more structured sleep patters and duration.
The main causes of sleep drunkenness include head injuries (which commonly result to irregularly long sleep duration or hypersomia), substance abuse, brain tumors and other underlying neurological issues. PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is another common cause.
Withdrawal from certain types of medication may mess up one's sleep-wake patterns and in certain cases result to confusional arousal.
If any adult experiences unusual disorientation, partial or complete amnesia upon waking up in the morning or upon waking up in the middle of his sleep, a visit to the doctor is highly recommended.
When symptoms are disregarded the disorientation, confusion and amnesia may cause an affected individual to become violent. One example shared by Dr. Ohayon was about a medieval knight who accidentally killed his friend who awakened him.
Furthermore, a visit to a health professional is also advised since in the same study, Dr. Ohayon and his team found out that when symptoms of sleep drunkenness surface, underlying mental disorders may also surface.
The good news is that the disorder can be treated, Dr. Ohayo said reassuringly.
