VIDEO: Insight looks at the unusual things some people do in their sleep – why does it happen, and why don’t we know more about how to handle it?
For 25 years, Adam Doran has fought off shadowy, faceless figures in his sleep, as they loom over him in his bed, or trap him in his bedroom.
And for 25 years, his wife Julie Doran has fought him as he sleeps, completely oblivious he’s actually punching very real holes in their walls and windows in an attempt to escape his imaginary tormentors.
“No one in our house gets up to go to the toilet at night, because we’re scared,” Julie told Kumi Taguchi on Insight.
Adam has night terrors – a kind of , episodes where one part of the brain behaves like it’s awake whilst people are actually asleep, unaware of what they’re doing. Sleep physician, Dr David Cunnington, explained this can result in all kinds of unusual behaviours, like walking, talking, running, eating and screaming during sleep.
When someone has a night terror, “the fight/flight part of the brain that’s involved in that fear response, that’s highly active … that’s what leads to that behaviour,” he said.
“Often they’re very unfiltered and raw, and it’s quite common for people who are very quiet, passive people in their day time lives to manifest quite aggressive behaviours during sleep.
“Their personality, their values are switched off, and what we’re left with is that raw reptilian fear part of the brain.”
Adam has been suffering from his sleep disorder for 25 years. Source: Supplied
Parasomnias are not uncommon – at least two per cent of adults experience them regularly. But patients and experts both told Insight it’s difficult to get help, despite how debilitating the condition can be for the person experiencing it, and for anyone sleeping nearby.
“I just wanted to fix it,” Julie told Kumi. “We’d go and see someone, and nothing would happen.”
Adam tried counselling, hypnotherapy, dietary changes and medication, none of which successfully stopped his violent night terrors. Most doctors didn’t understand Adam’s condition, and had no suggestions for other things they could try.
GP, Dr Brad McKay, teaches other GPs in training, and admits sleep disorders aren’t well understood by most doctors.
“Pretty much everyone I’ve taught has no idea about it … it isn’t done very well in medicine at all.” He said most sleep specialists in Australia are focused on respiratory problems like sleep apnoea, leaving those with conditions like parasomnia struggling to find someone who understands.
“We’ll just keep exploring, because we need to,” Julie said. “Because we’re tired.”
