Sleepless in America

Healthy rest, problem sleep, and the dreams and nightmares therein.
John Cline, Ph.D., works at the Sleep Disorders Centers of Connecticut and Waterbury Hospital Regional Sleep Lab. He also teaches psychiatry at Yale University. See full bio

Comments on "Can people drive while asleep?"

Can people drive while asleep?

Yes, but not safely. Read More

Sleep Driving

Last night I had a lot of trouble sleeping, I would fall asleep and then jerk awake what seemed like everytime I would fall asleep. I also had a pretty bad headache last night too. I remember waking up from what I thought was a dream of me in my car trying to back it out of my parking spot. I remember thinking in this "dream" that I was going to hit the other car next to me if I moved any farther, but then I remember consciously thinking but I was dreaming so it doesnt matter if I hit the other car. I remember looking behind the car to see if there was anyone there but I could barely see (because it was dark) The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed and very groggy thinking that was a weird dream. The rest of the night (I dont know a time line at all) I was still falling a sleep and jerking awake, I was very restless.
When I woke up in the morning I stayed in bed till about 11am because I was so tired from ack of sleep last night, and I didnt think anything of my weird "dream" until I went to my car to leave for work, my car was backed out about 4 feet from the curb and the tires were over the line into the other parking spot. I would never park my car this way and I know I did not leave it this way. I have no recolection of walking to or from my car last night just the weird "dream" and then my car being parked the way it was... I am a little scared and I am going to ask my roommate to hide my keys before we go to bed and see if anything happens sometime soon.

sleep driving

Most of what you describe sounds like a restless night of sleep with considerable fragmentation of your sleep. This can happen if someone is stressed, had too much coffee earlier in the day, etc, etc. It then seems that you had lucid dreaming in which people are aware of their dreams and can even to some degree direct them. As for the parked car - it is possible you were sleep walking and drove the car but what you describe, with elements of recall, is hard to square with standard sleep walking. It also seems too complex to be an example of acting out of a dream. I would think a more likely explanation is that you were tired and parked poorly before coming in to a restless night of broken sleep. If an adult has sleep walking there is usually, but not always, a childhood history of sleep walking or other parasomnias. I would investigate a bit further, take safety precautions until you are sure you are not sleep driving (ie the keys plan you describe). If you have serious concerns about possible sleep driving I would consult your physician and you may need a referral to a sleep specialist. Best of luck.

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