When you’re drunk, the possibility of you doing something absurd that you barely remember is higher than normal. There’s the overly-punctuated 2 a.m. “hey you, what are you up to later???????” text that you find in your phone the next morning during your damage-control scroll, the greasy slice of cheesy deliciousness that you definitely didn't need, and the cheek-kissing-your-BFF Instagram that you don't remember filtering but that somehow got a bajillion likes so you’ll take it.
But according to a new study published in the journal Neurology, there’s a new type of drunken behavior out there, and—wait for it—it doesn’t even involve booze. It’s called “confusional arousal disorder,” and the study found that one in every seven people may suffer from it.
On a basic level, “confusional arousal disorder,” which is also known as “sleep drunkenness” or “sleep intertia,” is when you wake up really confused and perhaps do things—often inappropriate things—that you don’t remember in about a 15-minute period of time. Defined in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, it consists of “mental confusion or confusional behavior during or following arousals from sleep, typically from slow-wave sleep in the first part of the night, but also upon attempted awakening from sleep in the morning.” Research shows that some factors that may contribute to these episodes include sleep deprivation, the use of sleep meds before bed, and a sudden awakening (like when your phone goes off at 3 a.m.).
Equally important is the fact that it’s often accompanied by inappropriate behavior, like fighting or making a random phone call, memory impairment, and even complete or partial amnesia of the event. It hasn’t been studied much, which is why you probably haven’t even heard of this condition.
MORE: The Very Real Dangers of Taking Sleeping Pills
So for this study, the researchers analyzed the sleeping habits, health, and mental conditions of 19,136 people ages 18 to 102. They found that 15.2 percent of the sample reported episodes of “confusional arousal” (CAs) in the past year. But interestingly, these episodes seemed to disproportionally affect certain people.
For instance, as many as 70 percent of people with CAs had a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or insomnia. They also found a link between mental disorders and CAs, especially major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder. Finally, 31.3 percent of people with CAs were also taking a psychotropic drug for sleep or mental disorders, mainly antidepressants.
MORE: The Scary Side Effect of Skimping On Sleep
For more than half of the people experiencing CAs, they reported at least one episode per week. About 8 percent of the sample had complete or partial amnesia of those episodes (meaning they didn’t remember having them, for the most part); and 14.8 percent had episodes plus nocturnal wandering, aka sleepwalking. Essentially, sleep or mental disorders definitely seemed to play a role, but the use of medication was only a factor in some cases.
What to do about it, then? Unfortunately, the study authors say there's still a lot of research to be done. It is not yet considered a disorder in the DSM-5 (the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the authoritative guide on mental health disorders), but they argue that including it as a sleep disorder may help raise awareness and lead to better diagnoses and treatment. In the meantime, talk to your doctor if these signs sound familiar to you, and read up on our tips for sleeping better.
MORE: The Real Reason Insomniacs Can't Fall Asleep
Powered by WPeMatico
No comments:
Post a Comment