The drunk text is an unfortunate hazard of a night out, often involving a tequila or two.

Be warned, they usually hunt in packs.

At least we have some control over it, though. No tequila, no drunk texting. Simple.

Now, thanks to a world where we are constantly on our phones, sleep texting has become a thing – and it’s terrifying.

Sleepwalking and sleep talking are common in children, but you usually grow out of it. According to a recent study, sleep texting is something that’s becoming more common in adults, reports Health24.

Professor of paediatric nursing Dr Elizabeth Dowdell found that some college students are taking talking in their sleep a step further by sleep texting.

The article, published in the Journal of American College Health, reported that students who sleep with their smartphones close by are “partially” awoken by the sound of a notification or a message coming through. We say “partially” because while these students might still be consciously asleep, their motor skills are awoken by the sound of various message alerts coming through on their mobile devices.

We develop the habit, over time, of responding to message alerts immediately. This habit kicks in when we get a notification while asleep, and we automatically respond.

If you search #sleeptexting on Twitter you get some interesting anecdotes. They’re funny, but would probably be less funny if you were the person sending this to your boss at 3:24AM:

At least you can explain things to your mom:

And the perfect way to win your ex back:

Let’s hope this wasn’t the first time Jake said “I love you”:

Dr Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist that specialises in cognitive behaviour therapy, notes that “It’s like your brain is on autopilot”.

Think about the rate at which people are texting nowadays, and most people sleep right next to (their phones), so if they wake up it’s another automatic behaviour. This is sort of a form of sleepwalking; that’s kind of the way that I look at it.”

It might seem silly, but not getting enough sleep can cause serious problems down the line. If you find yourself sleep texting, it could be a sign that you aren’t sleeping properly.

Best practice? Get an analogue alarm clock, and leave your phone on silent in another room.

[source:health24]