Colo. Man, Sanford Rothman, Shoots Self in Sleep

Oct. 29, 2010— -- A Colorado man had a clear wakeup call early Tuesday morning. It wasn't an alarm. It was a gunshot.

After the blast, 63-year-old Sanford Rothman found that he had shot himself in the knee while sleepwalking. According to The Boulder Daily Camera Rothman told investigators he did not clearly remember the event.

Rothman was taken to the hospital, treated, and released.

Calls to Rothman were not immediately returned, but no illegal activity is said to have been involved in the incident -- a sign that Rothman might simply suffer from what is known among sleep experts as a parasomnia.

Parasomnias are disorders that interrupt sleep and often involve disruptive behaviors. Most of these conditions are fairly rare, but when they occur they can be startling to sufferers and their families. Worse, some people with parasomnias may even inadvertently place themselves or their loved ones in dangerous situations.

Sleep experts say these sleeping disorders can range from mild to severe. The next few pages feature a closer look at some of these disorders.