A woman from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, named Nicola Edwards was surprised to receive unexpected items she did not remember buying. The items included wet-look leggings, guinea pig care book, bow ties for dogs, baking papers, miniature railway figures, tiny iPhones, ballet shoes, and more. Nicola, a size 16, and a pet owner, was puzzled by the random purchases that arrived at her doorstep.
Nicola, a mother-of-two and business owner, experienced sleep shopping episodes during her peri-menopause. She was shocked to find out about her nighttime purchases, including unusual items like a diamond-tipped drill bit and a dog wig. Her confusion grew as more parcels kept arriving, containing dresses and shoes that were not in her size.
After her husband, David, noticed her nighttime phone activity, Nicola realized she had been unknowingly shopping online while asleep. She attributed her sleep shopping to the hormonal changes of menopause, which caused memory lapses and cognitive issues. Despite her efforts to control her nighttime spending, Nicola continued to receive unexpected items, including snow boots and a ruff.
Nicola found some logic behind her purchases, linking them to her family’s interests and past experiences. However, some items, like a signed picture of Stormzy and a wheelbarrow inner tube, remained unexplained. Despite spending over £1,000 on sleep shopping, Nicola managed to return some items and donate the rest to charity.
While Nicola sees the humor in her sleep shopping episodes and has not sought medical intervention, sleep medicine consultant Dr. Allie Hare explains that menopause-related sleep disturbances can lead to parasomnias. These abnormal behaviors during sleep can be triggered by fragmented sleep patterns caused by hormonal changes.
As Nicola hopes her sleep shopping will cease once menopause is over, she remains amused by her nocturnal shopping adventures and the mystery behind her unconventional purchases.