Man Has Sleep Disorder That Makes Him Sleep Fight His Wife

I remember being eight years old, staying the night at a friend's house, and waking up in the middle of the night to my friend standing facing the wall. I asked him what he was doing, and he didn't answer. It was then I remembered him once telling me he had a sleepwalking issue. This guy from Ohio has a similar situation, except he tries to fight people while he's asleep.

Ron Whitehall has woken up in his car, and fallen down the stairs on a few different occasions. He decided to see a sleep clinic about his dilemma when, on a few separate occasions his wife woke up to him clawing her, and fighting her in his sleep as well. His wife of 41 years, JP, said she has had to put pillows between them so that he doesn't try to fight her in his sleep.

When he's woken up after these fighting episodes, he's recalled in his dreams that he was confronting a childhood bully, or fighting a large snake.

After going to the sleep clinic, doctors have diagnosed Ron with "REM Behavior Disorder." He's being treated with a pill, which prevents him from reaching the peak of a REM sleep cycle. He's said that he'd rather he and his family be safe than have a deep sleep.