Dangerous Killer Dreamers} Are You One?
psychologytoday.com
In his sleep, Brian had strangled his wife to death. Sixteen months later, he appeared in court to face charges of murder. The question before the jury was stark in its simplicity: Was the death of Christine Thomas the fault of her husband or a tragic accident over which he had no control?
For most, a bad night's sleep leads to little more than bleary eyes the next day. But for those who suffer from parasomnias, a group of sleep disorders that includes sleepwalking and night terrors, a bad night can quickly become a catastrophe. While asleep, these people have been known to dive into nightstands, drive, or make phone calls—with no recollection of their actions come morning. In extreme cases, they can pose a lethal threat to themselves or others, according to Mark Mahowald, director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center and a neurologist at the University of Minnesota. He has studied cases in which people ran into traffic while asleep or woke up and realized that they had their wives trapped in a headlock.
Those with parasomnias sometimes resort to tying themselves to their bed at night out of fear they'll accidentally kill themselves or someone else. Comedian Mike Birbiglia jumped out of a window while asleep, seriously injuring himself. He has since described zipping himself into a sleeping bag each night so that he can't harm himself again. The accident was the basis of his recent hit indie film, Sleepwalk With Me
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As the sun set in the Welsh village of Aberporth in July 2008, 59-year-old Brian Thomas sat with his wife, Christine, in a motor home overlooking the sea. The pair had been married almost 40 years and now spent their retirement watching rugby together and traveling the countryside. After dinner, the couple went to bed, only to be awoken around 11:30 by rowdy teenage boys nearby. Unable to return to sleep, they drove to another site and bedded back down.
Then the night took a deadly turn. Brian woke to find himself with his hands around Christine's neck as she lay unresponsive. In a panic, he called 999, the Welsh equivalent of 911. "I think I've killed my wife," he told the operator. "Oh, my God. I thought someone had broken in. I was fighting with those boys, but it was Christine. I must have been dreaming. What have I done?"
Then the night took a deadly turn. Brian woke to find himself with his hands around Christine's neck as she lay unresponsive. In a panic, he called 999, the Welsh equivalent of 911. "I think I've killed my wife," he told the operator. "Oh, my God. I thought someone had broken in. I was fighting with those boys, but it was Christine. I must have been dreaming. What have I done?"
In his sleep, Brian had strangled his wife to death. Sixteen months later, he appeared in court to face charges of murder. The question before the jury was stark in its simplicity: Was the death of Christine Thomas the fault of her husband or a tragic accident over which he had no control?
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