Good Night, Sleep Text

          Some people snore in their sleep, some people grind their teeth, some even utter out little, or big, toots. Me? Well I text in my sleep. Weird, right? Oddly enough though, I am not the only one who has this strange condition. According to and article on WebMD (Click here to read article), sleep texting is on the rise and is becoming a huge phenomenon.

          Doctors do not know if sleep texting actually occurs while sleeping or if it occurs during a brief moment while you are awake, that is gone from your memory when you wake up. Doctors also say that is comes from an addiction to technology and that is the reason why it is so easy for your subconscious to compose text messages while sleeping, because it is an action that, for most, has become second nature. I am not sure that I completely agree with this. I can honestly say that I do not have an addiction to my cell phone. I do not compose text messages every minute of the day. My phone is with me all the time, in case of an emergency, but I am by no means addicted. According to a study done in 2009 and 2010, during the months of April-June, the average American teenager sends approximately 3000-3500 text messages a month (article including study). I send on average 800 text messages a month, significantly lower than the average American teenager.

          Sleep texting is actually very funny. When I tell someone about it, it always brings up laughter. I don’t ever know that I have texted someone in my sleep. The only way I find out is if the “victim” of the text message sends a text message asking what the heck I am talking about or if they ask me about it in person. Most of my messages I send have to do with whatever dream I have. Though not all of the words are spelt correctly, the reader can decode or make sense of the message. The spelling errors and subjects make for a very entertaining conversation. The following is a message I sent to my friend Sadie;

“No Staci! The octopussies dont liv in the wager. They live in the sky with the llamas. Im rite an u kno it.”

         

Luckily, the people who receive my messages are close friends or family members who are in my recent text history. My friend James is the most texted “victim” of my over night text messages. He finds them hilarious and tends to tell everyone about them. It has become somewhat of a desire to receive what has been deemed, a “Bailey Sleep Text”. Every time someone receives their first “Bailey Sleep Text” they get super excited, it is almost like they have achieved a status of some sorts. I personally don’t think it is all that, I find sending the messages quite embarrassing, but all one can do is laugh.