Fans of Taylor Swift knows that she can be anything – from being the girl-next-door to the feisty femme fatale, we’ve all seen her “evolution.”
But did you know that she was a raccoon, too? This might surprise you but she explained that she is the kind of animal that rummages through dumpsters and trash bins. Apparently, the pop star is the mammal in her “Wildest Dreams,” *wink.
Taylor Swift’s Admission
It was a breath of fresh air when the contemporary artist appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the first time she did in the past couple of years. In a fitting comeback to the set, Taylor gamely joined the host for a game of “Burning Questions,” where she was put on the spot. Ellen asked what the “Me!” singer does at night when she can’t sleep, to which the star said she heads for the kitchen and eats whatever she can find.
The 29-year-old further explained that she was like a raccoon that rummages in the dumpster and that she had no idea of what happened the following day. Obviously, the answer tickled Ellen’s curiosity and followed up with another question, asking Taylor if she meant sleep eating. Tay-Tay said that it was an involuntary act.
Sleep Eating
While Taylor casually made the revelation, it sheds light on the disorder. According to the American Sleep Association, sleep eating is a condition wherein a person unconsciously awakens sometimes even multiple times during nighttime and eats and drinks excessively. As to what food they consume, they are mostly inclined to eat food with high calories and sugar.
According to Ohio State University sleep doctor Jesse Mindel, it is still unclear if Taylor really has the disorder since the singer did not elaborate much when she was a guest on the show. But sleep eating usually happens before the rapid eye movement stage.
Sleep eating, however, should not be interchanged loosely with night eating syndrome. According to Lenox Hill Hospital assistant professor Robert Glatter, NES patients are those who wake up in the middle of the night starving and can’t go back to sleep until they devour something. In short, they differ in the person’s consciousness while consuming food.
Sleep Eating Vs. Sleepwalking
Sleep eating and sleepwalking share a lot in common, but should not be confused as one. According to WebMD, the first one is less common than the latter.
But, they are similar in the sense that they are difficult to wake up and when they finally do, they oftentimes get mad at you or become irritable. As the doctor pointed out, talking to them while they are out doing their tasks will remain futile since they are simply unaware.
Dangers of Sleep Eating
While Taylor made it sound like it was nothing to worry about, experts explained sleep eating comes with risks.
For one, they are unaware of what they’re doing so they basically don’t know what they are eating and doctors warn they may eat inedible food and toxic chemicals while asleep. They may also hurt themselves with the supplies around them such as knives, which is why they should baby-proof the place if they are aware of their habits.