Talking in your sleep can be embarrassing if you are caught by someone or even just yourself. If you share a home, you could be disturbing your partner or roommate and affect their own sleep. Most people dislike the idea of talking in their sleep, as they have little control over what they’re saying.
You may just be saying silly little things to yourself because of your dreams, or in some cases, may be screaming in terror and disturbing the sleep of yourself and others due to night terrors. This can lead to sleepwalking, or kicking and punching while you sleep. Many people who suffer from these issues find themselves feeling tired the next day due to poor quality sleep.
Causes of Talking In Your Sleep
Sleep talking is not always to do with dreams – you can talk at any stage of sleep. Rather, it may be because of a condition. Although we may see night terrors as typical nightmares, they are also a diagnosable condition that goes beyond bad dreams and affects your daily life and sleep schedule.
Another condition is REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). RBD affects about 1% of the population – more typical in men, those over 50, or those on medications such as antidepressants. RBD is when the muscle paralysis does not set in during REM sleep, causing those to act out their dreams – often loudly or violently.
Sleep talking is not always due to a condition – it can occur casually and become more common due to certain factors, such as fever or stress.
What Are The Solutions?
If you believe you have a sleep-related condition, your doctor may be able to give you some personalised advice or send you to a sleep clinic for further study.
Keeping a diary of how you feel before sleep, and if you have dreams or talk in your sleep that night, you can begin to track patterns of when you talk in your sleep. This can help point out any stresses or health factors that cause you to fall asleep.
If you’re having the same dreams that make you chatty all the time, there may be a reason you’re having them. See our guide to common recurring dreams to find out the cause of your nighttime adventures.
