Sleep, Actually
Automatic behaviour
Continuing a familiar activity while partly asleep, with little or no memory of it afterwards.
Automatic behaviour describes carrying on with a routine task — writing, typing, tidying, driving — while briefly falling asleep, then having no memory of that stretch, or finding the work is nonsense.
NINDS describes these brief episodes as lasting seconds at a time while an activity continues.
Because driving is one of the activities this can affect, it belongs in a safety conversation with a clinician. If you feel unsafely sleepy, do not drive.
Related journal prompts
Optional. Recording what you notice may help you prepare questions for a qualified healthcare professional. NAP never infers a cause from what you write.
- Was there a stretch of today I cannot properly account for?
Related practical tools
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More in this part of the hub
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Persistent, overwhelming daytime sleep pressure that a normal night's sleep does not reliably resolve.
Cataplexy
A sudden, brief loss of muscle tone while awake, often triggered by strong emotion such as laughter.
Sleep paralysis
A temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking, usually lasting seconds to a couple of minutes.
Dream-like experiences around sleep
Vivid, sometimes unsettling images or sensations while falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking (hypnopompic).
Dreaming, Nightmares, and Narcolepsy
Nightmares, dream-like experiences around sleep, sleep paralysis, and dream enactment are related but distinct experiences.
Fragmented nighttime sleep
Frequently broken nights — a common and often surprising part of a condition associated with daytime sleepiness.