Why do people sleepwalk at night: causes and treatments for sleepwalking

In ancient times, people believed that the Moon influences not only the tides of the sea, but also the human psyche, and it is this night star that makes some people get out of their beds at night and walk in their sleep. Therefore, in the past, healers called the phenomenon of sleepwalking sleepwalking. But the influence of the Moon is one of the most harmless reasons that were used in ancient times to explain sleepwalking, because in the dark Middle Ages, sleepwalkers were often declared witches or possessed. Fortunately, now the times of the Inquisition and ignorance are a thing of the past, and modern scientists have studied sleepwalking in detail, identified its causes and ways to help the sleepwalker. Let's take a closer look at exactly what signs characterize sleepwalking, why people sleepwalk at night, and how to save yourself or a loved one from night walks.

Prevalence and types of disease

Today, experts are carefully studying the causes and features of this phenomenon. This disorder is called “somnambulism.” In colloquial speech it is called sleepwalking. Indeed, in the Middle Ages it was believed that such patients were subject to the influence of the night luminary and evil spirits. They were often accused of witchcraft. Fortunately, the days of ignorance are a thing of the past. And to the question of why people sleepwalk at night, scientists are already able to give specific answers.

Somnambulism is a common disorder. It occurs in two percent of the world's inhabitants. Most people suffering from this disorder are adolescents and young adults. Some patients who experienced symptoms of the disease “outgrew” sleepwalking by the age of 15-19.

Many people believe that during somnambulism a person gets out of bed and walks. But it is not always the case. There are two types of disorder:

Light flow. Attacks occur two to three times a month. The patient does not get out of bed and does not perform complex actions. With this type of disorder, a person talks while sleeping, grinds his teeth, sits up, takes or moves objects located on the nightstand in front of the bed.
Severe degree. This form is characterized by the fact that the patient walks and performs complex actions: doing housework, eating, walking down the street, getting into a car, going to work or visiting.

Any manifestations of the disorder cause shock among loved ones who are close to the patient. Why do people sleepwalk at night and talk? How to help a patient suffering from somnambulism? These questions interest many.

Why do people talk when they sleep?

No one can say for sure why someone starts talking at night from time to time. And although there are discrepancies in statistics, it is still known that about sixty percent of people have spoken without waking up at least once in their lives. So what happens to us when we sleep and talk?

Is this normal?

The phenomenon of someone talking in their sleep is called somniloquy. You can also come across another term - dream-speaking. Which, in fact, is the same thing. Somniloquy falls into the category of sleep disorders, which also includes parasomnia, sleepwalking, enuresis and night terrors. Sleep talking is harmless for most people and is not generally considered a medical problem. As a rule, the “talker” himself does not experience any discomfort; rather, the discomfort is experienced by the person who sleeps in the same room with him.

Firstly, sometimes the person lying next to the one who is speaking has to listen to something that sounds vulgar or even obscene. Agree, you will not be too pleased when you suddenly hear from your husband, even if he is sleeping, expressions that he never uses in your presence, reserving them for a purely male environment. And secondly, it’s generally not very pleasant to wake up in the middle of the night from someone’s conversation, even if these are the most innocent words.

In general, “talkers” usually speak for no more than thirty seconds per episode. But some people interrupt their restful sleep with conversations many times during the night. Such speeches can be extremely eloquent, or they can be inarticulate and unintelligible mutterings that cannot be deciphered. These may not even be words, but simply individual sounds. It is generally believed that a sleeping person is talking to himself; but sometimes from the outside it seems as if he is conducting a dialogue with someone. He can whisper, or he can scream. And when you sleep next to such a restless “neighbor,” you risk getting no more sleep than if he snores!

Who talks more often in their sleep?

As we have already said, many people talk in their sleep. Half of all children aged three to ten talk about something in their sleep; But of adults, only about five percent “like” to talk after they get into bed and fall asleep. Such conversations can happen from time to time or every night. Thus, a survey of more than two thousand families showed that every tenth child talks in his sleep more than once or twice a week.

It is also reliably known that girls talk as often as boys, and women are subject to night conversations no less often than men. Experts also believe that sleep speaking can be inherited.

When, how and why do people talk in their sleep?

Somniloquy can typically occur during two different stages of nocturnal rest: during the second stage of slow-wave sleep, when speech is just a stream of non-dreaming thoughts, and during the rapid eye movement stage (this stage is characterized by active dreaming). ). During the slow stage, the sleeper can be easily awakened (sometimes even the speaker himself wakes up from the sound of his own voice), while during the fast stage it is quite difficult to wake him up.

When this is achieved, the awakened person will not remember what he just said. And even during the rapid stage, accompanied by dreams, the conversation most often has nothing to do with the plot of his night visions. Of course, talking in a dream can be related to the dream itself. We can talk about what we dream, and we can conduct a dialogue with the interlocutor whom our dormant imagination came up with. On the other hand, experts are sure that we could see one thing in a dream, but talk about something completely different.

Sleep talking can vary in frequency and intensity, and is influenced by many factors. For example, drinking alcohol before bed. There may also be more complex factors, such as high fever, emotional stress, certain medications, and some underlying sleep problems such as apnea. Well, as we already mentioned, hereditary predisposition. All this can, to one degree or another, cause you or your loved one to become sleepy.

How to deal with talking in your sleep?

You should not attach much importance to what you hear from a sleeping person. It's just cute nonsense! The words of a sleeping person are not at all a reflection of what is happening to him in life. And you cannot believe the myths that claim that you can find out all the secrets from a sleeping husband by eavesdropping on his unconscious revelations. They say that a person is asleep, having weakened control over himself, and does not even suspect that at this moment he is giving himself away completely. Don't be fooled! What your sleeping husband says (if he speaks, of course) has nothing to do with reality.

And even in his dreams he doesn’t have what he chats about at night! He won't even remember what he said there. Moreover, when you tell any disturber of the night's peace that he talked in his sleep, he will be quite amazed - he has no idea that he has such a habit!

There is no need to worry about your loved one chatting at night, even if he does it loudly. If it's a child, just look at him and make sure he's safe. Now you already know that there is nothing wrong with such conversations.

When can talking in your sleep become a cause for concern? Only when you feel too tired and not rested throughout the day (when you talk at night) or when talking in your sleep is accompanied by other disorders, for example, sleepwalking. If you feel sleep-deprived day after day, then you need to contact a specialist who will help you choose the best course of action to correct the situation.

Causes of disorder in minors

It is known that sleepwalking most often occurs in children and puberty. Male individuals are more susceptible to it.

The pathology is associated with insufficient maturity of the central nervous system in children and adolescents. Increased mental and emotional stress, active activities (watching TV shows, computer games) in the evening - all this leads to the fact that the nervous system cannot calm down even during sleep.

Often somnambulism is combined with involuntary loss of urine, tics, and neurosis. In addition, one of the answers to the question of why people sleepwalk at night is the presence of a hereditary predisposition. If the disorder was observed in relatives, then there is a possibility of its development in the child.

Somnambulism often occurs in children and adolescents during a migraine attack, during illnesses that are accompanied by an increase in temperature. Another possible cause of the disease is epilepsy.

Cause of sleepwalking

Possible causes of sleepwalking
Scientists interested in studying this phenomenon have identified the reason: it is the tendency for foci of excitation to form in areas of the human brain during the deep phase of slow-wave sleep. As a rule, impressionable people suffer from this .

Interesting: Is it possible to study in a dream?

About 15% of children and 2% of the adult population of the planet suffer from somnambulism. Children are more prone to manifestations of sleepwalking for the simple reason that their bodies are actively developing and, accordingly, a restructuring of the brain takes place. It also has a big impact that they absorb a huge amount of information every day. The cause of sleepwalking in a child may be a psycho-emotional background: fatigue, stress, insomnia. An increase in temperature can also trigger an attack of sleepwalking.

The same reasons provoke the manifestation of somnambulism in an adult. However, the most common cause is neuropsychiatric disorders and intoxication of the body. An attack of sleepwalking can also be one of the symptoms of epilepsy.

If you are faced with the problem of sleepwalking once, then it is enough to simply ensure the person’s safety and put him to bed. If the disease is not random, but recurs regularly, then you should consult a specialist.

Factors contributing to the development of pathology in adults

Adult individuals rarely suffer from this disorder. As a rule, it is of a secondary nature. Why do people sleepwalk at night and talk in their sleep? The reasons for the development of the disorder in adults may be:

chronic lack of sleep;
psychological stress;
hemicrania;
neoplasms in the brain;
neuroses;
dementia in old age;
Parkinson's disease;
mechanical damage to the brain;
epilepsy;
severe form of arrhythmia;
breathing disorders during sleep;
cerebral vascular pathologies;
gestation period and critical days;
asthmatic attacks during sleep;
decrease in glucose concentration in diabetes;
eating large amounts of food at night;
unbalanced diet;
taking alcohol-containing products, drugs, medications.

What is meant by somniloquy?

Scientists coined this term to designate a brain disorder in which a person, during night or daytime rest, begins to pronounce individual sounds, words, phrases, or even entire monologues out loud. Somniloquy most often affects young children and middle-aged men.

With this disorder, a person usually begins to utter words or fragments of phrases in a dream that others hear. Quite often, the sleeper’s speech is incoherent and meaningless, but sometimes those around him hear surprisingly coherent sentences. Through his conversations, a person usually comments on what he sees in a dream.

There is a belief that in a state of somniloquy, an adult or child speaks only the truth. Therefore, sometimes friends, relatives or colleagues who are awake at that moment try to enter into a conversation with night talkers. Sometimes the sleeper answers the listeners' questions inappropriately, but even in this case the conversation turns out to be comical.

However, it is not recommended to have fun in this way: interference with the subconscious can result in much more serious consequences than talking during sleep.

The duration of the sleeper's monologue ranges from several seconds to 2-3 minutes. Waking up after night conversations, the “chatterbox”, as a rule, does not remember either the plot of his dream or the topic of the conversation in it.

Somniloquy does not pose any danger either to the sleeping person or to those around him. The only downside to night talkers is that they can disturb others' sleep. However, those who suffer from somniloquy irritate others less than snorers.

Some people are afraid of doubt. Suspicious mothers, hearing the nocturnal semi-delirium of a sleeping baby, sometimes rush to visit a psychiatrist to understand the reasons why their children talk in their sleep. In fact, there is no need to panic in this case. Doctors believe that “chatty” kids quickly outgrow this habit, which is associated with the need to train their speech apparatus. In adults, somniloquy has a different character. The disorder can be influenced by various factors.

Signs of the disorder

Typically, patients suffering from somnambulism get out of bed, walk, talk, and perform various actions. At first glance, these people appear to be in a state of wakefulness. However, if you carefully observe them, you will notice characteristic features. The patient's movements are slow. The eyes are open, but the person does not perceive what is happening, does not see or hear anything around. Can't wake him up. There are cases when people, during an attack, opened the lock of the front door and started the car.

But not all people suffering from somnambulism are so active. There are patients who stand or sit in bed.

As a rule, episodes of sleepwalking are short-lived. They stop on their own after about half an hour. The man returns to bed and falls asleep. After waking up, he does not remember the night attack.

What happens in a dream

The alternation of phases takes place throughout the night.
The total duration of one course is 1.5 or 2 hours.
The first phase occupies five percent of night dreams, i.e. every two to three hours for five minutes.
By giving out a verbal stream during this period of time, a person plunges into a deeper sleep.
When a person's eyes move quickly enough, it becomes easy to wake him up and he stops all talking.
The second phase occurs with deeper sleep, and the sleeper in many cases does not remember at all whether he said anything at this time.

But, even during periods of communication in a state of sleep, accompanied by rapid movement of the eyeballs, his monologue does not always draw a parallel with the pictures flashing in his subconscious.

What scientists say

Therefore, if a person talks to himself out loud, what does it mean? Well, it’s not always that he retells the scene he saw from his own dream. But at some moments he can still say what he dreams or talk to the images and characters he sees. This position is also shared by the famous doctor of medical sciences Kohler from the Sia Institute in Florida.

Potential danger

Many people are interested not only in the question of why people sleepwalk at night, but also in how much this condition threatens the patient or others. Somnambulism is not a fatal illness. However, during night walks the patient poses a potential danger to himself and others. He may get injured, jump out of a window, fall from a roof, or get into a car accident. There are cases when such patients committed acts of a criminal nature. Relatives of individuals suffering from this disorder should not wake them up abruptly. Such exposure can cause stress.

Scientific arguments

Medicine does not yet have a clear explanation for somnambulism. In 2002, the American Academy of Medicine concluded that somnambulism can be classified as a genetic disease. Having analyzed the DNA of sleepwalkers from a large test group, doctors discovered a region on the 20th chromosome (locus 20q12-q13.12). The presence of even one copy of this DNA fragment gave a 50% probability of signs of sleepwalking.

More detailed studies are currently underway. Their goal is to find out which of the 28 genes in this region is responsible for sleepwalking. Most likely, this is the adenosine deaminase gene; it is responsible for the production of an enzyme responsible for the deep sleep phase, in which an attack of somnambulism occurs. The genetic basis for sleepwalking, however, does not explain the fact that completely healthy people, without any signs of this disease, begin to sleepwalk. The chief psychiatrist of the Russian Ministry of Health, Zurab Kekelidze, claims that sleepwalking and its particular manifestations (such as sleep talking) can also occur with absolutely healthy people after they have experienced stress.

The direct connection between sleepwalking and the moon has not been scientifically proven, but the fact that lunar phases affect the human body cannot be denied. Statistics of incidents and attacks of exacerbation of chronic diseases clearly prove this, but while there is no scientific evidence of the obvious connection of somnambulism with the phases of the moon, it is premature to talk about this semi-mythical genesis of the symptom.

Somnambulism is not a death sentence. It is close to epileptoid-like disorders and occurs if inhibition of the central nervous system does not extend to the areas of the brain responsible for motor functions. You can fight it with medication. Doctors usually prescribe sedatives and antiepileptic drugs. The sleepwalker also needs rest, exercise and healthy food help. Alcohol and drugs are contraindicated for somnambulists. They disinhibit the nervous system and can provoke an attack.

How to get rid of somnambulism?

One of the answers to the question why people sleepwalk at night, talk and walk, is the presence of overload and emotional stress. This is especially true for individuals of childhood and adolescence. First of all, to get rid of the symptoms of somnambulism, you need to stabilize your sleep and rest patterns.

You must also see a doctor to undergo an examination, which must include an encephalogram. Having found out why a person sleepwalks at night in his sleep, the specialist selects a method of therapy. In the absence of serious illnesses, the doctor will recommend medications with a sedative effect. If pathologies are detected, treatment of the underlying disease will be necessary.

Reasons why people sleepwalk at night

Sleepwalking only from the outside seems like something mysterious and even mystical, but for people suffering from this disorder, it is exclusively a cause of inconvenience, and sometimes even danger. Many somnambulists, aware of the danger looming over them, strive to prevent attacks with the help of sleeping pills, but such treatment is ineffective, because all such drugs sooner or later become addictive. Therefore, in order to cure this disorder, it is necessary to eliminate its cause. And according to doctors, in most cases the reasons why people sleepwalk at night are:

Impaired brain functionality and the formation of a focus of epileptic readiness in the temporal lobe of the hemispheres. The brain of a completely healthy person “rests” during sleep, and those parts of the brain that are responsible for coordination of movements, control of limbs and speech are inactive in the deep sleep phase. However, in people who have nerve disorders or early stage epilepsy, brain function may be impaired. As a result of this disorder, during sleep, areas of the brain that should “rest” actively function and control the human body. As a rule, the results of the encephalogram of sleepwalkers show areas of the brain that are not functioning correctly.
Severe stress. Stress, nervous breakdowns and increased anxiety negatively affect the functioning of the human nervous system, as a result of which malfunctions may occur in certain areas of the brain. Since each person’s psyche is individual, the consequences of nervous breakdowns are different for everyone - someone becomes irritable and aggressive, someone loses their ability to work, someone begins to experience memory problems, and someone “earns” sleep disorders and somnambulism .
Excessive intellectual load.
People who engage in intellectual work and regularly endure excessive workloads sooner or later face the fact that their brain is unable to cope with the flow of information received. As a result, even during sleep, the brain cannot rest and tries to work at full capacity. Most often, it is for this reason that sleepwalking occurs in children and adolescents who have difficulty coping with school and extracurricular activities.
Other sleep disturbances and deterioration in general health. Sometimes single attacks of sleepwalking occur in people suffering from chronic lack of sleep or insomnia, as well as in those who go to bed with a headache and fever. Both lack of sleep and physiological disorders in the body affect the functioning of the nervous system, which is why the brain may not completely switch to “sleep mode”, and certain parts of it will function in “wakefulness mode”.

If we consider the main reasons why people sleepwalk at night, we can conclude that the source of most of them are psychological problems - constant stress, inability to rest and relax, increased anxiety and inattention to one’s own health. And by eliminating these causes, you can significantly reduce the number of attacks of sleepwalking or completely get rid of somnambulism.