I’ve Been Screaming In My Sleep

[Listen to an audio version of this blog HERE.]

A few weeks ago, a boatload of my running friends all ran through the Grand Canyon together. It was marvelous, they are marvelous, and life is a marvel. After our 50 mile journey, I fell asleep in a hotel room I shared with one of my friends. The next morning, he told me I woke him up (twice) because I was screaming in my sleep. This was news to me, and I didn’t think much of it. Bad dream, probably.

But, a few days later, I asked my roommate if she had ever heard me scream, and she said yes, more than once. I was alarmed, she was alarmed, and life is (sometimes) alarming.

I told my therapist, who mentioned I could be having “night terrors,” and told me to tell my doctor, which I haven’t done because I don’t even know who my doctor is. But I googled it, and now I’m writing about it, so here we are.

According to the all-knowing WebMD, While people talk about “night terrors,” it is not, in fact, a diagnosable condition per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual fifth edition (DSM-V). Some diagnosable sleep conditions include nightmare disorder, REM sleep behavior disorder, and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep Arousal Disorder. “Night terrors” are what people who are not doctors call things that doctors have names for. Either way, I’ve been screaming in my sleep and…