Being jolted awake is like being totally drunk.

"Confusional arousal (CA)" or "sleep drunkenness" is the medical term for a condition in which a person in deep sleep is suddenly awoken. This awake state is marked by confusion and amnesia.

A study of sleep drunkenness was published this week in the journal "Neurology".

Like Us on Facebook

Individuals that suffer from this condition show behavior similar to intoxicated people. Confused and inappropriate behavior such as confusing one object for another or doing something that may be harmful to oneself or others is commonplace among victims of sleep drunkenness.

Sleep drunkenness is said to affect one in seven adults.

The condition usually occurs when the person is suddenly jolted from sleeping said sleep psychiatrist and study co-author, Dr. Maurice Ohayon of the Stanford School of Medicine.

The sudden jolt results in amnesia in which the person simply doesn't remember falling asleep or is confused about waking up.

"It's like they are totally drunk - they don't know where they are or what they are doing," said Dr. Ohayon

Sleep drunkenness is known to be common in children. The new study, however, has proven that it's quite common in adults as well.

The study done by Ohayon and his colleagues involved surveying a sample of 19,100 non-institutionalized adults in the United States.

Their sleeping habits, medications and history of mental illnesses and CA were assessed.

Around 15 percent of the participants had at least one CA episode during the year the survey was taken.  Half said they had at least one CA episode a week, while 15 percent of those who had CA also sleepwalked.

The study revealed that individuals who also suffered from bipolar disorder, alcoholism, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were at a higher risk of CA.

Sleep conditions such as sleep apnea and getting too much or too little sleep could also lead to CA.