Strange and Scary Things We Do While Sleeping

So you think mumbling in your sleep is weird? Hold on to your pillow, because the BBC reports on some of the truly weird things people do while sleeping:

• Sleep texting: If you're glued to your smartphone during the day, you may end up sending incomprehensible texts while sleeping. For the same reason, people have been known to drive while asleep—or even dismantle grandfather clocks.

• Sleep eating: Some people are surprised to wake up next to candy wrappers in bed. They have Nocturnal Eating Syndrome, and it can be a big problem for dieters. Want to avoid it? Don't go to bed hungry.
• Sleep sex: Sexsomnia is exactly what it sounds like: a condition that causes people to have sex during deep sleep. Don't laugh—it's led to sexual assault and rape charges, because "when you are in a deep sleep moral and rational decision-making do not occur," says a sleep specialist.
• Breathing problems: Sleep apnea is becoming more common, in part because it's caused by obesity. It can cause people to stop breathing in their sleep for several seconds. Luckily, it's often treatable with a sleep mask.

Click to read about another sleep disorder: "exploding head syndrome." (More sleep disorder stories.)