Few things are more disconcerting on a trip than to wake up in a hotel room, and for a few bewildering seconds wondering where I am, which hotel, which city, why am I there? Even which day it is, never mind the time.
But a release from British budget hotel chain Travelodge, reporting that sleepwalking among guests increased seven-fold in the past year, mostly involving naked men, has set me worrying about a more alarming kind of amnesia: What am I getting up to while I’m asleep!
According to Travelodge, which runs 310 hotels in Britain, more than 400 night-time wanderers appeared at reception in the past year asking such questions as ‘Where is the bathroom?’ ‘Do you have a newspaper?’ or ‘Can I check out, I’m late for work?’
One naked male sleepwalker even managed to get himself locked out of the hotel and later arrested. On other occasions hotel staff was able to direct somnambulists safely back to their rooms.
The top five sleepwalking activities are: opening the curtains; watching TV; getting dressed; eating and drinking; and going for a walk.
Studies have found that sleepwalking can be brought on by such factors as, stress; alcohol; cheese; eating too late; too much caffeine.
Chris Idzikowski, a sleep expert at Edinburgh Sleep Centre says, ‘The Travelodge figures are a surprise. Sleepwalking is a serious disorder that can develop for a variety of reasons. It can be triggered by a stressful lifestyle, sleep deprivation, alcohol abuse, or not breathing properly during the night. Sleepwalking is most likely within an hour or two of going to bed and slipping into a deep sleep.’
‘Part of the brain switches into auto pilot, and can manage well-learned movements, Idzikowski adds, such as walking, bending or sitting, even detailed activity such as talking, texting, eating and drinking, opening and closing doors, even driving a car. Sleepwalkers will awake quite unable to recall any of their actions. Other forms of sleepwalking may involve acting out dreams.’
Leigh McCarron, director of sleep at Travelodge says, ‘My job is make sure guests get the best nights sleep possible; by making sure we purchase the right duvets, with good linen, and comfortable beds. But we are seeing more cases of sleepwalking so we have issued our staff guidelines so they know how to help sleepwalkers when they meet them.’
Idzikowski’s recipe for a good night’s sleep is to allow at least an hour ‘of non-work-related activity,’ to empty the mind, to wind down, however late it is, along with silence, darkness and comfort. ‘We have shown that light from a laptop or Blackberry is concentrated enough to signal the brain to stop secreting melatonin, the natural hormone that produces sleep.’
‘After a business meeting, go to your hotel room, sort out the results, what you’re going to do, put that aside,’ Idzikowski says. ‘A hot bath can be relaxing, especially for women; there is no point in going to bed and not sleeping. Caffeine: a general rule is to avoid it for six to seven hours before you turn in. I am pro-alcohol; a nightcap is not a bad idea, but low doses basically. Above 80 milligrams it is catalyzed down, the brain reacts to lack of it, you get a rebound effect, and three to four hours later you wake up again.’
Idzikowski recommends sleeping in darkness and being progressively woken by an alarm clock with a light that slowly increases in intensity, simulating a sunrise; although you might draw the line at seashore, nature or city sounds
International Herald Tribune 2008