Sleepwalking.

Quite a few years ago I watched this show on sleepwalking. It terrified me to say the least.

It was a show on severe sleepwalking, and how it can sometimes be dangerous. Not only to those sleepwalking, but to others around them.

Case #1. A sleepwalker who would go for nightly runs, barefoot, in his skivvies, and not remember a darn thing. Just that he was so exhausted the next day. Go figure. 

He was trying to get this under control, and then one of his nightly runs led him

 to a freeway where he was hit and killed.

Case #2. Some might debate this, but the man who killed his wife in his sleep. Yikes!

I have a sleepwalker in the family. And I haven't really thought about 

those two cases above until last night. 

Brandon his my sleepwalker. He has been sleepwalking for a few years. But it seems to be more and more frequent. And the episodes are getting more involved. Before he'd just walk around, come in our room, and I'd turn him back around and make sure he got back into bed.

Since moving here, he is more often than not, crying like he's scared. About a week ago he came in our room, and Ryan tried talking to him. Asked him who he was, and he repeatedly told us he was Caden. HUH? Totally sleepwalking.

Last night I was up LATE again. (These dang Olympics) I was just dosing off when I herd some whimpering and realized it was Brandon coming up the stairs. I layed there half awake, waiting for him to come in, but he never did. I could hear him just wandering the house whimpering.

Then just as I was about to get up, I was positive I heard the garage door open and close. I tried to get Ryan to go check it out, but he was too out of it. So I hopped out of bed and ran to see. When I opened the garage door, not only was the light on, but the garage was open, and Brandon nowhere in sight. I ran out calling his name, saw some neighbors, and quickly ran back in to clothe myself! 

 I ran back out searching our yard, hearing him, but could not see him. I was really starting to freak out! I went back to the garage and still not Brandon. 

As I turned the corner to go out again, here he came whimpering and totally out of it, but eyes wide open. I grabbed him, and said his name, and it was like someone bolting out of bed. He started screaming and then grabbed on to me for dear life!

This morning, he has no recollection of this incident. Scary!

As I put him in bed next to me, these two stories came into my mind, and of course I couldn't go to sleep. What if one of these times he's sleepwalking and not crying and does this same thing?!

The only reason I herd the door was cause his crying and stirred me awake. Look at Ryan who was completely out of it and didn't notice?!

So what to do? An alarm system on the doors, so if they open in the night it wakes me up? A bell? Lock him in his room? HELP??