An Idaho woman has taken sleep walking to a whole new level. She was found on a river bank after 'sleep swimming.'
The unidentified 31-year-old woman mysteriously went missing during early morning hours. Her husband called the police when he woke up at 2:25 a.m. and realized that his wife was missing and the door to their home was open. The woman has a history of sleep walking, according to the Times-News.
Search and rescue teams set out to look for the woman. She was found on the Cassia County riverbank in Idaho, about a quarter of a mile from her home, after she swam in Snake River.
She had left the house without shoes and was only wearing pajamas. She was soaking wet and suffering from hypothermia. An ambulance took the woman to Cassia Regional Medical Center to be treated.
As if this incident isn't bizarre enough, it isn't the first time it has happened. Authorities have responded to three incidents just in the past five weeks as the woman has a dangerous habit of sleep swimming.
After the previous incident, in which she was found in Burley, Idaho, a county judge ordered her to have a mental health evaluation. However they found that she was not a danger to herself or others.
The authorities warned the woman's husband that she should seek help immediately as the temperature of the water will soon drop, creating an even more dangerous situation if she happens to take a light night sleep swim again. Next time she might not be so lucky.
The woman seems to suffer from a severe case of somnambulism, or sleepwalking, but she takes it to another level. Sleepwalking occurs when people are in a deep sleep, but it doesn't take place during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During sleepwalking, the body is active when it shouldn't be. Scientists are still trying to figure out why the brans command the muscles to move during sleep. This issue is believed to be genetic and happens most often when a person is fatigued, stressed, or has taken drugs or alcohol.
When a person is in this stage, they appear to be awake as their eyes are open, but they are in a low stage of consciousness and aren't aware of what they're doing. They often don't remember when it happens and they can be disoriented if awoken.
Those with somnambulism can sit up in bed, walk to the bathroom or start cleaning, however they can also engage in dangerous behavior such as cooking, driving, fighting, or even murder. According to a 2005 BBC report, there were 68 cases of murder while sleepwalking.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
