‘Sleep Texting’ Becoming A Growing Problem
According to research, more people are texting in their sleep, leaving experts to believe "sleep texting" is caused by a busy day.
Sleep specialist Dr David Cunnington from the Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre said he has had an increase in the number of patients who reported incidents of sleep texting."We have had patients who have reported sending text messages to their friends and family while asleep," he said in a statement.
"It is one of those things that happens, but it is very rare, and certainly not a common trend."
He said cases of sleep emailing were more common, and were likely to have a more detrimental effect on the lives of those who do it.
"Emails can be sent to work colleagues and have much more serious consequences, whereas text messages are more likely to be accidentally sent to a friend or family member, so people aren't as likely to complain of a problem."
He said that because it is easy to receive emails constantly, and get notifications from smartphones, it becomes more difficult for us to separate our waking and sleep lives.
"The key point is that people need to respect their sleep and make an effort to switch off at night," Cunnington said in a statement.
He said that people who struggle to get a quality night's sleep should keep their phones out of the bedroom.