Comedian Mike Birbiglia has a sleepwalking disorder and has actually hurt himself in his sleep (walking off a hotel balcony). He now has to use a sleeping bag with mittens on his hands to protect himself at night. Maybe your neighbor needs to do something like that!

http://sleepeducation.org/news/2012/01/27/sleepwalk-with-me-comedian%27s-sleep-disorder-experience-comes-to-film

When I first started reading your post, I thought, how nice of your neighbor. After continuing on, how scary. She needs to start counting sheep and get off of Ambien.

Yes, common with Ambien and it's dangerous for more reasons than that. Some refer to such conduct as that of an "Ambien Zombie".

When I was a teen living at home, I slept walk. I would do the strangest things. It continued into the first couple of years of marriage and then stopped. DH says that I do not do it anymore, thank goodness. I did not take any medications. And yes it is a scary situation.

Oh wow, that poor Lady. That would have scared me...someone at my

bedroom window. I wonder if she has tried taking Melatonin Tabs to help

her relax and fall asleep. It worked for me...and not habit forming...and

drug free. It comes in different strengths. Ambien is wicked.

Hope she can find some safe solution and not have to leave her home,

if otherwise, she is ok to live alone.

When my dad was in the hospital after surgery, he kept trying to get out of bed. They put a really loud alarm on the bed that would go off if he got up. I wonder if something like that would wake her when she tried to Ambien walk?

My gosh!! YES her daughter, doctor and ANYONE else needs to know about this incredibly dangerous behavior that is common and WELL known with Ambien!

Happened to a friend of mine when she was in her 20s, she immediately got off the medication, as this woman should too.

I've been known to sleepwalk, but the behavior you describe is NOT normal sleepwalking behavior, rather it is specific to Ambien and, again... incredibly dangerous!

Oh dear, that is dangerous for her and someone knocking on my bedroom window would certainly be scary!

When I was 9 or maybe even younger I would sleep walk every so often. Once I fell down the stairs scraping my back on a metal box my brother had left on the stairway. It didn't fully wake me up though and I went back to bed. Next morning I told my mother my back hurt so she looked and there was a nice long scratch down my back. Then I remembered part of my 'dream.' Even now a doctor will ask if I have had a operation on my back as that long straight scar is still there!

Yes, her daughter and her doctor must be told. This is very dangerous. I understand her fear of a nursing home, but that not need be the outcome of this. There are other alternatives to help her sleep. Perhaps a motion alarm could go off if she tries to leave the bedroom at night? Would that wake her?

Not certain a motion alarm would do much but it should be tried if she insists on using the drug. My brother sleepwalked one time that I know of. He ate his breakfast but spilled a hot cup of coffee on himself. Went back to bed and by the time he woke up had blisters on his chest. He swore he had not gotten up.

My brother Mike (5 years younger than me) who shared a bedroom with me with we were growing up would sleepwalk. Sometimes he would walk into a closet and not be able to get out until someone rescued him. He would not remember any of this the next morning. He also talked quite a bit in his sleep, but if I asked him questions in his sleep, he did not hear me or respond to them. I used to talk in my sleep, but I don't think that I still do. I would remember what I had said in my sleep the next morning, however.

There must be something else your neighbor can take besides Ambien to help her sleep. I think Melatonin is supposed to help and is quite safe. There might also be medical cannabis that would work. It worked for me when I worked graveyard shift and got home at 7 am and could not get to sleep at that time. Fortunately, I did not work that shift for very long.

Please PLEASE tell her daughter. If my mother was doing that, I'd definitely want to know.

My dad would occasionally sleep walk. I was quite young when he had a scary experience. He got up and walked over to my grandparents house, opened the gate, went to the barn, and started a tractor and drove it out into the pasture. My grandfather heard the tractor and thought someone was stealing it. It was probably around 2 am. He got a shotgun and went out to stop the thief. Thank goodness he realized it was dad! He managed to get on the tractor and turn it off. Dad was sound asleep.

So scary! He never did anything like that again but he would get up and make coffee or sit down and sleep in the recliner.

I agree someone needs to inform her family!

Wow - that is pretty disturbing!

And there are plenty of other sleep medications she could try, and I don't think any of them would have such a dangerous side effect, either.

I've listened to Mike Birbiglia's sleepwalking stories on This American Life. Some are rather harrowing, but of course he makes them funny.

P.S. An alarm would likely do no good, since the person is in a drugged state. They're not really conscious, even though they appear to be. True sleepwalkers would be able to be awakened, right?

On the other hand, free apple pie :-)

But do you know what really went into the pie, food etc! Prunes instead of apples lol. I don't think I would chance eating anything made by someone in that state.

After reading the OP's post the other day I couldn't stop thinking about this woman. It occurred to me that if she's up baking cakes and pies, then she's not actually sleeping. Why take this medication to help her sleep if she's not sleeping ? Yes, I understand that it helps her go to sleep, but she's not staying asleep. There are prescription and OTC meds that will help her. A muscle relaxer will make me sleep and so will Gabapentin.

Please tell her daughter about this situation now, if you haven't already.