17 replies to this topic

[Hum]

(CNN) -- If you have a smartphone, you may have felt the embarrassment of sending a private message to the wrong person or having autocorrect fail you at just the wrong time.

But some people experience a different kind of messaging mishap, one they may not even remember doing. And no, they're not drunk-dialing.

They're sleep-texting.

While hard data is lacking on this cultural trend, the anecdotal evidence has been mounting over the past few years. Twitter users regularly recount the loopy messages they've sent with the hashtag #sleeptexting. "There are texts sent from my phone at 5am that I do not recall sending," said one tweet. Another said, "I should stop sleeping next to my phone."

Others post Twitpics and Instagram photos showing their bizarre or garbled messages, some of which are more gibberish than actual words. One woman told CNN affiliate WQAD last year that she had a sleep-texting disorder.

Whereas some people might "get up and go get something out of the refrigerator" while in a state of sleep, said Dr. Jim Fulop, the corporate medical director for OhioHealth Sleep Services, others "grab their smartphone, which is right next to them, and they may text or do other things."

The idea of unlocking a smartphone, opening a texting app and then typing something while asleep may sound far-fetched, but the "sleep-texting" term is a little misleading. It's more like "half-asleep" texting, as doctors describe it as a state of rest where a person isn't fully awake.

"It's like your brain is on autopilot," explained Dr. Shelby Harris, director of behavioral sleep medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. "Think about the rate at which people are texting nowadays, and most people sleep right next to (their phones), so if they wake up it's another automatic behavior. ... This is sort of a form of sleepwalking, that's kind of the way that I look at it."

Unlike sleepwalking, which can be dangerous, sleep-texting tends to be a habit that can be easily laughed off.

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[alwaysonacoffebreak]

This is either an made up stupidity to get attention or someone really has an problem which they should seek help for.

[siah1214]

alwaysonacoffebreak, on 22 February 2013 - 15:24, said:

This is either an made up stupidity to get attention or someone really has an problem which they should seek help for.

Not really. I sleep talk frequently, I've changed my clothes in my sleep, I've even shoved my wife out of bed (I promise you, I was still asleep).
Sleep texting isn't that far fetched.

[alwaysonacoffebreak]

Sleep talking and all the things you mentioned are common things. Shoving your wife out of bed.. I did that each and every night with my ex, that surely isn't far fetched.

But "Sleep texting" sure is. It's just some fud so people can whore some attention to themselves. Have you seen people sleepwalking? I sure have, myself infact from a recording, you barely have any coordination what so ever, please do tell me how can they send full blown texts in that kind of an situation? Also sleep talking, mostly it's all gibberish and barely a few normal sentences come out and again, they write full blown texts? Give me a break, sent an embarassing text? Grow some balls and admit you did it and don't think up some half arsed story how you sleep text.

If they really can't remember then, like I said before, they need to find some help since it might be an actual medical condition related to something else.

[tsupersonic]

This sounds a little ridiculous...what are the chances someone who is sleeping can unlock a phone (which can be easy/difficult depending on what you have setup), open the messaging app, and send a coherent message to a person?

[Hum]

I sleep post ...

[siah1214]

alwaysonacoffebreak, on 22 February 2013 - 15:54, said:

Sleep talking and all the things you mentioned are common things. Shoving your wife out of bed.. I did that each and every night with my ex, that surely isn't far fetched.

But "Sleep texting" sure is. It's just some fud so people can whore some attention to themselves. Have you seen people sleepwalking? I sure have, myself infact from a recording, you barely have any coordination what so ever, please do tell me how can they send full blown texts in that kind of an situation? Also sleep talking, mostly it's all gibberish and barely a few normal sentences come out and again, they write full blown texts? Give me a break, sent an embarassing text? Grow some balls and admit you did it and don't think up some half arsed story how you sleep text.

If they really can't remember then, like I said before, they need to find some help since it might be an actual medical condition related to something else.

Meh, why would talking and swiping on a screen be that different? It's all in muscle memory anyway. It's like people that turn off alarms in their sleep: it's in their muscle memory, so they can do it. I had friends that would disable their own fairly elaborate alarm systems. You're a lot more competent in your sleep than you give yourself credit for.
Maybe I'm weird, but if I can get dressed to go to work two hours after I go to bed, argue with my wife about what time it is, then "go back to bed" and not remember any of it the next day, I really don't see why writing an incoherent text would be so far fetched.

[+techbeck]

Not sleeping per say, but when I had my wisdom teeth removed, they knocked me out. The next thing i remember was being home in my bed with a glass of water in my hands....but about an hour of that time is gone....i dont remember it. My friend said I was walking, talking, went to the bathroom....but I dont remember anything.

The body/mind is really interesting.

[Dc'1]

I've seen people I know posting that they've text somebody in their sleep, though usually its just nonsense. I've been known to have full blown conversations in this state, so I believe it.

[SPEhosting]

alwaysonacoffebreak, on 22 February 2013 - 15:24, said:

This is either an made up stupidity to get attention or someone really has an problem which they should seek help for.

I do it alot ... most of the times i miss i miss half the keys i wanted to hit so its just a load of crap ... lol sometimes i have no idea i sent them other times I do ...but i think i sent the text perfectly ...

[hdca18]

...

[MtnDewCodeRedFreak]

I never had any sleepwalking conditions.

[Detection]

Ive watched documentaries of people getting up and eating the kitchen bare asleep, and some guys who get up and paint or draw stunning pictures asleep but do not have the ability to replicate them awake

[Growled]

Hum, on 22 February 2013 - 16:16, said:

I sleep post ...

That explains a lot.

[Skin]

hmm I had a girl text me asking me how I was doing, and letting me know she had been 'edging' and was ready to go finally... I texted back that she had the wrong number...

In hindsight when I woke up... I realized I had slept texted... cause if I was awake I would have taken a second glance at what she said.