We are in the era of technology. Handheld devices and smartphones consume our lives. We're so reliant on technology that we use our phones as we fall asleep, to cuddle with as we sleep, and to wake us up every morning. A rare few of us even use our phones as we sleep. Yes, you read that right. We are in the era of sleep texting.
What is sleep texting? It's exactly what you think. It means texting on the phone while sleeping. It's a sleeping disorder much like sleep walking. Sleep texters will read their texts while asleep and fail to remember the message or their response the following day. Some people are even going as far to tweet or post on Instagram while asleep. Sleep texting takes place while people are only half sleeping. Part of the brain is able to allow us to perform rote movements in this state to make sleep texting possible. Why this happens is still unclear with this being a fairly new trend.
People are agreeing to plans, to attend meetings and to have personal conversations with friends - all while asleep. It's not just a silly problem to the victims. According to Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Dr. Mike Howell, with Fairview Sleep Center at the University of Minnesota Medical Center says people are calling 911 in their sleep with no recollection of it whatsoever. It is also negatively affecting personal health by disrupting sleep. Teens need hours of uninterrupted sleep. With this growing phenomenon, that uninterrupted sleep doesn't come as easy. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, one in three teenagers send more than 100 texts a day, and four out of five teens sleep next to their phones. Sleep texting only adds fuel to the fire by increasing usage.
Why am I such an expert about sleep texting? Sure, I did my research. But I too am a sleep texter. Ever since I was 17 years old, I have been texting in my sleep. It doesn't happen every day or night (day because yes, I sleep text while napping). I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I sleep text certain nights and why I don't other nights. Sometimes, I'll do it several nights in a row. I've also done it multiple times in one night. Other times, I have even connected my sleep texts to my dreams; friends are in my dreams and I actually text them while sleeping to subconsciously alert them of events taking place while dreaming. My sleep texting topics range from illegible messages to perfectly formed sentences. I've asked friends to make me sandwiches, to give me raisins, to take pillows away, and to "out gong got both of it" (whatever that means). It sounds insane because, quite frankly, it is. Sometimes I'll wake up to a typed message of complete jibberish where I never hit send. Other times, I wake up to texts from my friends saying things like, "What the heck are you talking about?" My victims usually laugh it off. They are just as intrigued as I am. It is an embarrassing sleep disorder that I have learned to live with and laugh about. I am a sleep texter, and I've lived to tell the tale.
