It's hard to say when it all really started. I remember waking up to piles of wrappers. Sometimes I would literally wake up IN piles of wrappers. Other times they would litter my bedside table and the floor beside my bed. Then I began noticing other signs. Open cabinet doors, empty boxes scattered on the kitchen floor...snacks had begin disappearing in the night.
I didn't really understand what was going on. I remember having strange dreams. One night I dreamt that I held up a local Wendy's. But instead of taking money behind the cash register, I sat on the floor behind the counter and ate all of the food. Finally one night I became semi-conscious to what was happening. I remembered waking up, walking to the kitchen and retrieving a package of Double Stuft Oreo's. I preceded to down half of the package. I remember just standing at my kitchen island shoving one Oreo after another in my mouth, as though I couldn't get them in fast enough. It was the strangest thing, and oddest feeling. I knew I was doing this, but I couldn't stop myself. It was as though I was watching myself, or having an out of body experience. I thought, I MUST be having another wacked out eating dream like the Wendy's robbery. But when I woke the next morning the evidence, a half empty package of Oreo's, stood glaring at me with hard proof upon my kitchen island. Finally I couldn't deny what was staring me in my face.
I had been sleep eating.
I've been told throughout my life funny stories of my sleep talking or sleep walking. I never once remembered saying or doing the things I was told I said or did. I would just laugh it off. After all I knew other sleep walkers and talkers, it wasn't that big of deal. And it really wasn't all that uncommon.
But sleep eating? Eating in my sleep?? This wasn't normal. This wasn't something I could laugh about. {Although I have laughed about it with close friends on occasion.} This was embarrassing. Was I really so addicted to food that my addiction was carrying over into my SLEEP? What was causing this? Why was I doing this to myself?!
To be honest, I still don't know. I've never had any sleep studies done. It's never gotten to the point where I felt I was putting myself in danger, and it's not something I do ALL of the time. Poor Mel has woken up to the clang of a metal spoon on a porcelain bowl while I sat beside him, eating cereal in my sleep though, so he has lost a little sleep to it. I also found myself eating not-so-good things. I've tried using child locks on the cabinets. Which don't really work because if I know how to open them when I'm awake, I can open them when I'm asleep. So we used the most aggravating, hard to open locks we can find. And it worked! But not really...instead of grabbing cabinet foods, I was eating weird things like tubs of butter or sour cream. {Just the thought makes me want to gag.}
My biggest triggers are stress, going to bed hungry, and dieting. {Usually when I'm dieting, I'm going to bed hungry.} I'm sure I do it more than I'm aware. I'm sure there's not always going to be evidence to see that I've spent another night eating. As far as how OFTEN I do it? I honestly have no idea what-so-ever. I thinks it's safe to say at LEAST once a week, but I really don't know. I know I go through cycles where I'm doing it more than usual. These are times when I'm usually stressed to the max for whatever reason.
This is probably my biggest confession of all time. It's not something I share with everyone. Only my closest friends and family know. And we laugh about poor Mel waking to the clanging of my cereal bowl. But it's just not something I've liked sharing.
Is there anything you do that others may find weird? Come on, help me out and help me feel like not so much of a weirdo! ^_^
{This was written after seeing Mama Kat's Writing Prompts for this week. The prompt was: "What is going on in the bedroom? Describe a memorable sleeper."}
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