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Doctors have announced a new form of sleep disorder - "SMS lunacy"
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Doctors note that recently there has been an increase in cases of a new form of sleepwalking – “SMS sleepwalking”. Unlike regular sleepwalking, in which people walk, talk, eat, and have sex in their sleep, SMS sleepwalking manifests itself in sending SMS and emails.
Neurologists claim that this form of sleepwalking is entirely possible, since writing SMS messages occurs without the active participation of motor skills and the brain.
A famous case of SMS sleepwalking, in which the author would send messages to his mother in his sleep, describing the nightmares he was experiencing.
A case of so-called "electronic sleepwalking" was recently recorded, when a 44-year-old woman sent emails in her sleep, and she could turn on the computer, enter her login and password, write a letter, albeit with mistakes, but quite understandable, and send it to a random recipient. However, in the morning she could not remember anything.
Since this form of sleepwalking is only just beginning to be studied by specialists, and treatment methods are still unknown, doctors advise putting mobile phones away from the sleeping area.
Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder that involves a person getting out of bed and moving around in their sleep.
Sleepwalking occurs only during the deep sleep phase. Sleepwalkers do not react to the environment, speak incoherently, and remember nothing in the morning.
Sleepwalking often manifests itself in childhood, although recently cases of sleepwalking in adulthood have been increasingly recorded.