Pigging Out in Your Sleep

About one to three percent of the general population gets up during sleep to make their way to the kitchen, where they pig out on food, which normally they would never eat. This type of sleep-eating behaviour falls into a category called parasomnias.


Sleeping Disorder

People suffering from this type of sleeping disorder are actually asleep and this sleep-walking-eating behaviour, generally, occurs during the transition from REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, to non-REM sleep, and wakefulness.

If you happen to go to the kitchen in the middle of the night and you see your loved one, or perhaps flatmate eating from the dog food bowl, drinking dishwashing detergent, scoffing down a giant container of ice-cream, or perhaps, devouring huge amounts of chocolate, soap, or bacon with raspberry jam, you may feel surprised and disturbed.

But if you look closely, you will notice that these pigging-out people, appear to be out of control. So as you watch on in horror at the sloppy, bingeing manner in which they are eating, you may draw the conclusion that they actually have some type of sleeping disorder.

The next day these zombie sleep eaters may be shocked to see that their kitchen is a horrendous mess and they may also wonder why they don’t feel hungry. YOU may be blamed. So perhaps, consider taking some photos of the piggy action, otherwise, your friend may just say, "pics or it didn't happen".

Some sufferers of this sleeping disorder who have taken certain types of drugs have even driven their cars to fast food outlets in the middle of the night and ordered food. Remember now, these people are essentially unconscious and asleep.

There is another related sleeping disorder called sexsomnia, which may be even more awkward for the sufferer. This is where a sleeping person may attempt to have sex with their partner, or another person in the room, or perhaps masturbate, while they are asleep. Supposedly, the person’s cerebral cortex is asleep, but the brain stem is still awake when someone has sexsomnia. Sounds stressful!


Books To Read

Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane. A pair of US Marshals are sent to an island-bound institution for the criminally insane.

When Mary Queen of Scots Lost Her Head

Mary Queen of Scots was born in Scotland in the year1542. She was widely acknowledged to be a great beauty and she was also tall for a woman of those times, being close to 6 feet. Mary had auburn hair and hazel eyes and she was also said to have a very kind and loving nature.

Her father, who was King James V of Scotland, was also the nephew of King Henry VIII of England. And her mother was a member of the rich and powerful Guise family of France.

Becoming a Queen at six days old, when her father died, was just the beginning of a very eventful life for Mary, as at the age of six years, she was sent to France due to the religious turmoil between Catholics and Protestants erupting in Scotland.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)

Married Young

King Henry II of France wanted Mary to marry his son, the weak and sickly Dauphin Francis. And they did eventually marry when Mary was 15 and the Dauphin was 14.

Mary's mother in law was the ruthless Catherine de 'Medici, who was known to poison her enemies and said to dabble in a bit of witchcraft. So Mary, was lucky in a way, as she was merely sent back to Scotland when her husband Francis II died.

Back in Scotland, Mary fell in love with Henry, Lord Darnley, describing him as "the lustiest and best-proportioned lang man". The pair married in 1564. However, the marriage quickly turned sour.

Not long before Mary gave birth to her child, who would later become James VI of Scotland and Ist of England, Lord Darnley, in a fit of jealously killed Mary's private secretary, Italian musician David Rizzio, by stabbing, right in front of the heavily pregnant Mary.

Mary's husband Lord Darnley died (murdered) and she fell in love again, this time with the Earl of Bothwell, who was soon revealed as the assassin of Mary's former husband, Lord Darnley, by means of an explosion. Mary and Bothwell, to the utter outrage of many, married.

Her reputation in shreds, combined with the growing power of the Protestants, resulted in Mary abdicating. She was locked away in prison, but after a year, her supporters helped her to escape, and she attempted to flee to France. Her ship, however, blew off course and she landed in England. Mary was now at the mercy of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Imprisoned Again

Again, Mary was imprisoned. She tried to escape and she was put under closer guard. In 1587, Mary's Catholic supporters tried to assassinate Elizabeth I, in order to put Mary on the throne and reinstate Catholicism. Instead, this led to Elizabeth I signing Mary's execution warrant.

Dressed in scarlet, the colour of martyrdom, Mary was led to the scaffold, which had been erected in the middle of a large room. Mary asked her major-domo to assist her up onto the scaffold and she asked to see a Catholic priest. This request was refused and the Duke of Kent added, “he pitied her greatly to see her thus the victim of the superstition of past ages”.

Attempts were made to remove her black veil, but Mary angrily pushed all hands away. The first blow of the axe struck the back of her head. The next blow severed the neck, leaving a small amount of sinew. The executioner then cut through this with the axe.

The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots 

As her head was held up for all to see, her auburn hair fell away, and it was revealed to be a wig. Her head, with its short white hair, fell to the ground. She was 44 years old.


Books To Read

The Monarchy of England: The Beginnings, by David Starkey