sleep ______ing

when i was a kid, it was not unusual for my parents to wake up in the middle of the night and find me somewhere in the house, acting out my dreams as they occurred. contrary to rem sleep behavior disorder, the dreams that i gave movement to were not violent and i can't recall ever hurting myself or someone else.

i vividly remember one dream that i had when i was about 6 years old: we had moved into a new house and the plumbing wasn't working yet. i needed to pee really bad, so my mom told me to use an empty plastic tall kitchen trash can. apparently, i got out of bed and squatted over my real bedroom trash can to relieve myself! my dad said that he caught me in the act, waited for me to finish and led me back to bed before he set about the delightful task of washing out my wastebasket.

the dream-acting stopped around the time i hit puberty. i suppose most people talk or move in their sleep, which i continue to do now and again. however, last night was the first time i can recall ever screaming in my sleep.

in my dream, i was in the cab of a truck with two other people. there was a very loud wind sound, like someone had left the windows cracked while driving at highway speeds. my truck-mates were trying to tell me something, but the wind and the loud radio prevented me from hearing what they said. i looked at them and screamed, "what? what?" the next thing i knew, i was back in my bed, and the captain was asking me what was wrong.

sleep walking, talking, peeing and now screaming. at least i can say i am exciting in bed. :)