4 Ways to Pretend to Sleepwalk

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Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder that is fairly uncommon but not unheard of. The disorder is estimated to affect between 1% and 15% of the population.[1] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source The symptoms that sleepwalkers display and experience during a sleepwalking event are well-documented and shared across the group. If you wanted to pretend to sleepwalk, there is a specific set of actions you will need to perform to pull it off authentically.

Steps

Maintaining a Blank Expression

1. 1Sit straight up in bed and open your eyes. Sleepwalkers are deeply asleep during an episode, but their eyes do remain completely open during the entire event. If you are trying to successfully pull off a fake sleepwalk, keeping your eyes open is a must.
2. 2Get out of bed with a blank, glassy-eyed expression on your face. Even though their eyes are open, sleepwalkers aren’t really “seeing” during an episode. Their expressions remain totally vacant and their eyes are unfocused and dim.
   • Practice keeping your face expressionless and your eyes unfocused before you attempt to fake sleepwalking. You’ll need to maintain that blank look in front of the person you are faking out.
   • If this person tries to wake you up during your “episode”, and they probably will, you’ll have to keep a straight face while this is going on.
3. 3Don’t respond to or communicate with anyone. During an episode, sleepwalkers are so dazed that they normally don’t react or respond to anyone who attempts to communicate with them. When you attempt your fake out, ignore anyone who speaks to you and do not initiate a conversation with anyone.
4. 4Be extremely hard to wake up. Sleepwalkers are extremely difficult to wake up during an episode. Don’t “wake up” unless the other person exerts a ton of effort trying to get you to do so. Keep your expression blank and maintain your glassy eyed gaze at all times.Advertisement

Repeating Simple Behaviors

1. 1Keep your movements and actions simple.[2] X Research source Sleepwalkers rise during a sleep stage that has them in a state of very low consciousness. Because of this, they can usually only perform activities that are very simple or routine to them.
   • Getting dressed and brushing your teeth are two routine activities that you can do during your episode.[3] X Research source
   • You could also try getting up, walking to your closet, opening the door and staring blankly into it.
2. 2Repeat the same actions. A sleepwalker only performs simple actions during an event, and often they will do those simple things repeatedly. Think of it like a needle skipping on a record – when a needle skips, the same brief moments of the music will repeat over and over. Pick some sort of very simple activity and do it repeatedly, maintaining a demeanor that is completely dazed.
   • Prepare your routine ahead of time so that you can perform the activities without a lot of effort. A believable thing you can do is get up and make a snack in the kitchen. Make a sandwich, but set it aside. Then make another sandwich.
   • You could also try walking down the hall to the bathroom and back several times, or go downstairs and back upstairs a few times with no real purpose.
   • Sleepwalkers generally don’t communicate with others, but they do tend to talk in their sleep a bit, usually muttering incoherent phrases. Incoherent screaming has also been known to happen so if you’re trying to freak someone out, you’ll probably succeed by sleep screaming.[4] X Research source
   • You could also get up and starting cleaning the same area repeatedly, which is a common sleepwalking occurrence.
3. 3Perform your fake sleepwalk at night. Sleepwalking almost always takes place during the night, not during daytime naps. In addition, sleepwalking usually wouldn’t occur in the very early hours of the morning.
   • You’ll want to keep this in mind when you plan your fake out, because you’ll probably be wearing your pajamas for the performance.
   • Sleepwalking is more likely to occur earlier in the night, within the first couple of hours after falling asleep, so a believable fake sleepwalk should occur pretty early in the night.
4. 4Sleepwalk for no longer than 30 minutes. A sleepwalking event can last as briefly as 30 seconds or go on for a maximum of about 30 minutes.[5] X Research source The typical range for a sleepwalking episode is 1 to 5 minutes.[6] X Research source
   • For a believable sleepwalk, plan your nocturnal event to include the repetition of a few simple behaviors that will not go beyond the half hour mark.

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Looking Confused Upon Waking

1. 1Look disoriented and confused when you “wake up”. Upon waking, sleepwalkers experience extreme disorientation. When you “wake up” during your fake sleepwalk, make sure to appear very confused. Look around you as though you have no idea where you are or how you got there.
2. 2Act extremely startled once you’re “awake”. When sleepwalkers are startled awake in the middle of an episode, they sometimes react by lashing out in fear and confusion. [7] X Research source If you decide to allow yourself to be woken up during your routine, do it suddenly. Make your actions erratic and jerky immediately upon waking.
3. 3Go back to sleep quickly with little communication. Sleepwalkers are so confused if woken up during an episode that they generally communicate very little with the person that woke them. Any communication that does take place is usually incoherent and the sleepwalker goes back to sleep very quickly after the event.
4. 4Return to your bed if you aren’t “woken up”. Because sleepwalkers are so hard to wake up, sometimes they are able to get through the entire episode asleep. When this happens, the sleepwalking event usually ends abruptly and spontaneously and the person goes back to bed.[8] X Research sourceAdvertisement

Having No Recollection of Events

1. 1Remember nothing if you’re “woken up”.[9] X Research source It’s very common for a sleepwalker to recall nothing from the sleepwalking event, even immediately after it happens. Mutter phrases like, “What happened?” and “Where am I?” when you “wake up”.
2. 2Deny that the episode happened. You’ll want to appear so disoriented that you’re unable to recall the event, so denying that it happened would be a very believable response. Argue defensively a bit with the person that woke you up and claim that you’re certain you didn’t sleepwalk.
3. 3Have no recollection of the event the next morning.[10] X Research source Your sleepwalking episode will no doubt be the first topic of the morning, so be prepared to look completely confused and claim to have no recollection whatsoever about what transpired.
   • When pressed, continue to insist that you don’t remember. This is a very common side effect of sleepwalking and not remembering the episode is very authentic behavior.
4. 4Act out of sorts the next day. It’s common for sleepwalkers to feel disoriented and have problems functioning after a sleepwalking event all the way into the next day. If you’re going for the long con with your sleepwalking fake out, act edgy and confused the next day. Fumble with items and pretend that you’re having difficulty focusing.Advertisement

Community Q&A

• QuestionHow should I overcome obstacles like closed doors or a laundry basket?Community AnswerSleepwalkers keep their eyes open when they sleepwalk, so you’ll be able to look authentic while scanning the room for possible obstructions. Sleepwalkers definitely open doors during their episodes, so you can do that without worrying (just try to look very dazed and out of it when you open doors to make it believable). If you’re worried about obstacles, you can plan your entire routine out beforehand. That way you will be anticipating anything in your path.
• QuestionWhat happens when you wake someone up while sleepwalking?Community AnswerUpon waking, sleepwalkers experience extreme disorientation. They are so confused if woken up during an episode that they generally communicate very little with the person that woke them. Any communication that does take place is usually incoherent and the sleepwalker goes back to sleep very quickly after the event. The sleepwalker has no recollection of any of the events that took place during the episode.
• QuestionWhy do I need to know how to do this?Community AnswerIt would be a funny prank to play on your friends at a sleepover.

References

1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066770/
2. ↑ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308305.php
3. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/science/sleepwalking
4. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/science/sleepwalking
5. ↑ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000808.htm
6. ↑ http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/somnambulism.html
7. ↑ http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/somnambulism.html
8. ↑ http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/somnambulism.html
9. ↑ https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/abnormal-sleep-behaviors/sleepwalking