Anna O

Sleepwalking and sleep disorders play a key role in Anna O. Sleepwalking affects Anna to the point of killing her family dog, waking up outside, holding a weapon over Douglas, and more. Like other sleepwalkers she researches, Anna doesn’t remember anything from her episodes. Sleepwalking, also called somnambulism, “involves getting up and walking around while in a state of sleep” (Mayo Clinic Staff. “Sleepwalking.” Mayo Clinic, 2017). Though more common in children and adolescents, adults can suffer from sleepwalking. Some sleepwalking symptoms include getting out of bed and walking, opening your eyes, having a glazed expression, not responding to communication, being hard to wake up, being disoriented or confused, not remembering the episode, sleep terrors, etc. Sleepwalkers might also do the following:

routine activities, such as getting dressed, talking or eating; leave the house; drive a car; engage in unusual behavior, such as urinating in a closet; engage in sexual activity without awareness; get injured, for example, by falling down the stairs or jumping out a window; or become violent during the period of brief confusion immediately after waking or, occasionally, during sleepwalking (Mayo Clinic Staff. “Sleepwalking.” Mayo Clinic, 2017).

Usually, the condition is mild and doesn’t cause harm, but if it occurs repeatedly or includes injury to oneself or others, doctors recommend being seen immediately. In Anna’s case, her parents ignore her sleepwalking. Due to her political standing, Emily doesn’t want bad press, so she chooses not to deal with her daughter’s episodes.

Sleepwalking, like other sleep disorders, is “classified as a parasomnia—an undesirable behavior or experience during sleep” (Mayo Clinic Staff. “Sleepwalking.” Mayo Clinic, 2017). As a disorder of arousal in the sleep pattern, sleepwalking can be caused by sleep deprivation, fever, stress, sleep schedule interruptions like travel, or underlying conditions. Some factors that may cause sleepwalking include sleep apnea, anxiety, PTSD, hyperthyroidism, brain-related diseases like Parkinson’s, medications like hypnotics, substance abuse, restless leg syndrome, and gastrointestinal reflux disease (Mayo Clinic Staff. “Sleepwalking.” Mayo Clinic, 2017; “Sleepwalking.” Cleveland Clinic, 2023). In the novel, Anna engages in substance abuse, especially alcohol, though she’s aware drinking causes sleepwalking. Anna also deprives herself of sleep because she fears her episodes; this sleep deprivation actually leads to more sleepwalking.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, sleepwalking isn’t that common. About “7% of people sleepwalk at least once in their lifetime,” but this typically occurs during childhood and is rare during adulthood (“Sleepwalking.” Cleveland Clinic, 2023). Each year, “about 5% to 15% of children—most often between ages 4 and 8—and 1% to 1.5% of adults experience sleepwalking,” so Anna is in the statistical minority (“Sleepwalking.” Cleveland Clinic, 2023). Nevertheless, Anna’s symptoms are congruent with those listed above. She’s in the severe category due to having experiences like opening her eyes, not communicating or waking up when others try to help, and hurting others. Making Anna fit into the small percentage of harmful sleepwalkers increases the text’s tension, conflict, and uniqueness.