On the night of January 26, 2005, comedian Mike Birbiglia experienced one of the most frightening episodes of his life.
He was staying at a hotel in Walla Walla, Washington, when he fell asleep while watching the news. What happened next felt like something from a war movie.
Birbiglia dreamed that a guided missile was heading straight for the building. In the dream, he believed he was trapped and had only seconds to escape.
But this wasn’t just a nightmare.
While still asleep, Birbiglia got out of bed, ran across his hotel room and jumped through a second-story window.
He eventually woke up outside, injured and covered in blood and broken glass. The experience later became the inspiration for his book and film Sleepwalk with Me.
What Happened to Mike Birbiglia?
Mike Birbiglia was staying at the La Quinta Inn in Walla Walla, Washington, when the incident happened.
Earlier that day, news reports had focused on the Iraq War and a Marine helicopter crash that killed 31 people. Birbiglia had fallen asleep while watching the news.
His sleeping mind turned what he had seen into a terrifying dream.
In the dream, Birbiglia imagined himself sitting in a room in Washington, D.C., surrounded by military officials. A commander suddenly arrived and announced that a guided missile was headed toward their location.
There was supposedly no time to escape.
Birbiglia panicked and decided to run.
He Jumped Through a Second-Story Window
In his dream, Birbiglia ran down a hallway looking for a way out.
There was no door ahead.
So he jumped through a window.
The problem was that he was not actually inside a military building. He was asleep in his hotel room.
His dream caused him to physically act out the escape.
Birbiglia went through the second-story hotel window and landed outside. He continued running across the property before finally waking up.
He was badly injured.
His body had been cut by broken glass, and he needed about 30 stitches for his injuries.
Why Didn’t Mike Birbiglia Wake Up?
The incident was connected to sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism.
During a sleepwalking episode, a person can get out of bed and perform physical actions while remaining asleep. They may have little or no awareness of what they are doing at the time.
In Birbiglia’s case, the episode was particularly dangerous because his dream appeared to influence his movements.
He believed he was escaping an incoming missile, so his sleeping body acted out that escape.
The result was a second-story jump through a hotel window.
The Injuries Were Serious
Birbiglia’s sleepwalking episode was not harmless.
After waking up outside, he realized he was injured and covered in blood and pieces of broken glass.
He ultimately required around 30 stitches in his arms and legs.
The incident also made it clear that another sleepwalking episode could have much more serious consequences.
Because of this, Birbiglia sought help from a sleepwalking specialist.
How the Accident Inspired Sleepwalk with Me
The bizarre experience eventually became the foundation for one of Birbiglia’s best-known stories.
He turned the experience into his 2010 book Sleepwalk with Me: And Other Painfully True Stories.
The story was later adapted into the 2012 independent comedy-drama film Sleepwalk with Me, which Birbiglia co-wrote, directed and starred in.
The film draws on his experiences with sleepwalking and his personal life while turning them into a fictionalized story.
Sleepwalk with Me Turned a Terrifying Event Into a Story
What happened to Mike Birbiglia sounds almost unbelievable.
He went to sleep watching the news and dreamed that a missile was coming for him. While still asleep, he tried to escape and jumped through a second-story window.
He woke up outside with serious injuries.
But instead of letting the experience remain a frightening memory, Birbiglia used it as material for his comedy and storytelling.
His sleepwalking accident became the starting point for Sleepwalk with Me, a story that brought attention to an unusual and potentially dangerous sleep disorder.
The Takeaway From Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalking Accident
Mike Birbiglia’s story shows how powerful sleepwalking can be.
A person may appear to be awake and moving with purpose while still being asleep. In rare cases, that can lead to dangerous behavior and serious injuries.
For Birbiglia, one terrifying dream turned into a real-life fall through a hotel window. It also changed the direction of his career by inspiring a book and a feature film.
What began as one of the most frightening nights of his life eventually became the story behind Sleepwalk with Me.