Now this is pretty funny. Depending on how you look at it.
Earlier this month Steve Martin appeared on David Letterman talking about his experience with a sleep aid (you can go here to view the actual clip). An avid online poker fan, Mr. Martin found himself playing late one night, going to sleep after taking a sleep aid, and then waking the next morning to find new winnings in his online poker account. He'd gone to bed with $500 in his account and discovered that the same account was worth $1,500 the next day.
He thought there had been a glitch in the system. He thought there had been a mistake. But no, there wasn't a glitch or a mistake. When Mr. Martin called to check with the people behind the online poker game, he was told that he'd in fact won that extra $1,000 while playing between 4 am and 5 am.
Needless to say, Mr. Martin had no recollection of getting up, getting online, and playing poker in the middle of his sleep. The experienced freaked him out enough that he stopped using the sleep aid.
Is this the norm?
Far from it. Sleep aids are some of the most widely prescribed medications in America, and it's rare to have such a bizarre reaction to these drugs. Reports have emerged about strange side-effects like sleepwalking, sleep talking, driving, eating, and performing tasks while supposedly in your sleep. But again, these side-effects are extremely rare.
It's not known whether Steve Martin's mid-sleep poker playing (and win) was related to his taking a sleep aid. But his experience marks the first time someone has come out and blamed a sleep aid on winning money from playing poker during sleep.
This gives new meaning to "making money in your sleep," doesn't it? Good thing he posted winnings that night. What if he'd gone online and unknowingly blown away thousands of dollars? He'd probably call his lawyer.
Sweet Dreams,
The Sleep Doctor
Michael J. Breus, PhD
This article by The Sleep Doctor is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.