Sunday, August 30, 2009

You've Been Talking in Your Sleep

There was an occasion to have a sleep-over with my friends Steve and Mike. I didn't have many friends growing up (though I was friendly with almost everyone) so it was nice to have opportunities to hang out and be what I thought was 'normal'.
We played some games and talked and watched TV most of the night. We ate BBQ sandwiches and drank soda. Normal stuff.
I surprised myself at how easily I got to sleep that night. I wondered if I would be able to or not? Away from home, away from my usual patterns, away from my safety zone. But I felt comfortable around them and it was late and I had a full stomach. Drifting off was easy.
I woke up and glanced at the clock. I had to put my glasses on to see what time it was. Steve and Mike were still asleep. I took my glasses off and wondered if I should try to get some more rest or just go ahead and get up? Suddenly, Steve sat up. I don't know why I shut my eyes but I did. He started having a conversation with Mike (who also sat up) about me, over me as I pretended to be asleep. I couldn't believe that they would do that? Why?
They ended their dialogue and went back to sleep. I got up and went down to the kitchen, to get some breakfast. I just sat there in shock. I thought we were friends? Steve got up and left, he had to be somewhere. He was smiling and waving as he left, as if nothing had happened.
Mike wandered out a little while later, groggy. We sat in silence for a moment and I confronted him. He just looked at me, head cocked to the side. No, he had not sat up and had a lucid conversation with Steve about me nor had he ever had a conversation with Steve about me. I believed him, just from his early morning disheveled appearance; he did not look like he would be lucid about anything until much later that day.
It doesn't seem possible that I could have been awake and fallen back asleep. The whole thing (looking at the clock onwards) could have been a dream, I suppose, except it was so sharp and, well, real that that seems as unlikely.
When I was very young, the family had gone on a trip. Mom and Dad share the front bedroom, we kids were crammed into the back bedroom. When my sister came to bed, my brothers sat up and laughed and then immediately went back to sleep -- with no knowledge of doing so in the morning. It was very creepy.
Another trip, this time with a church group. My roommate goes to bed first, I am spending time getting ready for bed (brushing teeth, removing contacts, washing face, etc). When I am finally ready and make my way in the dark to the bed, he sits up slightly and tells me not to turn on the light and lies down and goes back to sleep. I chalk it up to a dream or being grumpy or... just weirdness. In the morning, he doesn't have any knowledge about the event.
My ex- would sometimes sit up or lie there and talk to me with no recollection of doing so in the morning. We had brief and seemingly meaningless conversations about nothing.
Being a somewhat private person, I don't spend a lot of time with sleeping people. I wonder if this is unique or common? My experiences have been awkward, comical, and uncomfortable -- sometimes all at the same time. If one person or another had done it, it would seem random; but, when two people are engaged in sleep talking, it seems as if something else is going on.

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