Mum spent £1,000 looking for issues she did not need — whereas in her sleep
Nicola Edwards was confused and bewildered when she had random packages full of things she would never use show up at her doorstep — but then the exact reason was discovered
Nicola Edwards was swamped by items that she had no recollection of buying(Image: Dominic Lipinski)
A mum has spent more than £1,000 shopping for things she doesn’t want, completely in her sleep. Nicola Edwards, 56, has ordered everything from outsized dresses and shoes to treats for her dogs that they could never use.
Her bizarre purchases include a face mask of politician Nicola Sturgeon, “hideous” men’s Roman sandals, and a signed picture of Carry On movies legend Bernard Breslaw. Nicola was stunned when the random items began arriving on her doorstep.
She said: “When I saw a diamond-tipped drill bit, I was confused. Then I pulled out a blonde dog wig… I was utterly baffled.”
When she logged into her account with an online marketplace Nicola was shocked to see the items in her sales history. She said: “They’d been bought in the early hours of the morning a week earlier and I immediately panicked, thinking it was some sort of scam.”
After cancelling her credit card Nicola tried to forget it — but the parcels kept coming. She said: “Within weeks, I’d had dresses and shoes, none in my size.
“All from various sellers on eBay. When I went online, I saw they’d all been bought between 2am and 3am.”
And she admitted: “I was amazed at how complex some of my sleep shopping had been. One night I’d uploaded a picture of me and my daughter on to a website that then printed them on to some men’s socks.
“Another time, a huge box with 50 chocolate meringue bars arrived. I’d actually set up an account and begun a monthly subscription, all at 2am. I can’t even find my way around these websites when I’m awake!”
Eventually her scaffolder husband David solved the mystery. Nicola explained: “One day he said, ‘you know, I’ve seen you on your phone in the middle of the night. When I tell you to put it away it’s like you don’t hear me’.”
Suddenly the penny dropped. Nicola said: “I’d been doing this in my sleep!” The mum-of-two, who is a mental health first aid teacher, admitted: “The idea that someone goes on a shopping spree while fast asleep sounds absolutely ridiculous.”
Nicola, whose has a son, 27, and a 25-year-old daughter, finally realised that the perimenopause was to blame. She said: “It had absolutely floored me. I was suddenly a mess, forgetting everything and feeling totally frazzled.”
Nicola, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, has now developed techniques to curb her nocturnal sprees. In the last quarter of 2025, she didn’t make one night-time purchase. But she added: “Until last week, when a doggie-themed haul arrived!
“I’d bought six pairs of snow boots, coat hangers, rainbow striped leggings and an Elizabethan-style ruff.” Nicola, who owns a pet business, said: “At least I’ll be able to put them in my shop, Reggie’s Pawfect Treats, which sells natural treats for dogs.”
She added: “I guess that nighttime Nicola just really wants to shop! And not all her choices are bad. I actually do really like a pair of multicoloured boots that look like they were made by elves. And, for once, they were actually the right size.”
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