Study reveals the strangest activities people carry out when asleep

You've heard of sleepwalking but a study has now shed light on fuller range of activities that people can get up while snoozing.

And to be honest, some of the things this study has revealed are pretty bizarre.

The study in question, carried out by by researchers at Semmelweis University in Budapest and published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, has now compiled a list of ten 'parasomnias', where someone engages in an unusual or unwanted behaviour while asleep.

While some of them are fairly innocuous, such as moving hands or talking gibberish, others are a bit more disruptive.

That could even include aggressive movements like hitting.

Good luck explaining that one in court!

We're not just talking about simple things here either, as things like sleep-driving, picking up sharp objects, having sex, eating, and talking full sentences have all been reported.

Imagine tucking yourself in nice and cozy and then waking up at the wheel doing 70mph down the motorway.

It seems that the plot of Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, where a sleeping Wallace wakes up to find he has been manipulated into robbing a museum, might have some grounding in reality.

Who would have thought?

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There's even one called 'sexsomnia', which is where someone unintentionally initiates sex during their sleep.

And yes, this particular condition does create a lot of problems about consent.

The study said: "Sitting up, getting out of bed, and walking around are typical in the so-called non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias, which mostly happen in the deep sleep stage of the sleeping cycle.

"In this case, the person straddles between sleep and wakefulness.

"That may sometimes be associated with handling sharp objects, leaving home or driving.

"The half-sleeping person may eat or even perform sex."

One of them, sleep-driving, is different from falling asleep at the wheel.

In this case, a patient will get up, go to the car, get in, start the engine, and drive off.

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The study also found that elderly people had a lower rate of parasomnias than children and younger adults.

Talking in your sleep can also be found alongside stress or even mental health conditions, according to the Sleep Foundation.

Around ten to fifteen percent of children are affected by a sleep disorder, with this decreasing to around three to five percent in adults.

The research team concluded: "We identified sleep-related behavior patterns apparently consistent with parasomnias across age and sex groups, promising to improve ways of risk management."

There are a lot of things that you can do to improve your sleep. These include reducing stress and anxiety, which admittedly is easier said than done.

Other things include regular exercise and cutting back on alcohol.

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