What does it mean if a person often talks in his sleep?

What are talking in your sleep called?

Scientifically, this phenomenon is called somniloquy. A little less scientifically speaking. It is reliably known that such conversations last no more than 30 seconds at a time, but can occur repeatedly during sleep.

However, when studying this phenomenon, scientists noticed that up to a quarter of such episodes occur during the REM sleep phase, and the rest, respectively, during deep sleep.

By the way, these conversations can be both a monologue and a dialogue. Such a person does not remember the conversation itself the next morning. In rare cases, a person may speak a foreign language. This is usually explained by the fact that he grew up in a different language environment in very early childhood.

Habits

Often conversations in a dream are provoked by our lifestyle. In other words, scientists say that sleep-speaking is the result of our bad habits:

• the reason for talking during a night's rest may lie in an uncomfortable bed, watching horror films or harsh sounds;
• excessive physical or mental stress leads to the appearance of night talking;
• lack of sleep also provokes a similar phenomenon;
• A person can become delirious in a dream due to constant stress;
• eating fatty and heavy foods before bedtime;
• consumption of energy drinks and drinks containing caffeine;
• colds or pathologies accompanied by high fever. In this condition, delirium is often observed;
• taking a number of medications designed to eliminate problems with the heart muscle, difficulty breathing and to reduce blood pressure;
• drug use. Any opiates have a stimulating effect on the nervous system.

And lastly, as mentioned above, alcohol also provokes talking in your sleep. A drunk person is most often susceptible to this condition. At the same time, once you sober up, night talking completely disappears.

Why do people talk in their sleep

Scientists cannot give an exact answer to this question, but they suggest that dream-speaking is often associated with past experience.

This phenomenon is usually common among children and teenagers - more than half of children aged 3 to 10 talk in their sleep. Typically, children begin to develop somniloquy after strong experiences or vivid episodes in life. Doctors believe that in this case, talking in a dream does not indicate any violations. This feature can be inherited.

The vast majority of people stop talking at night when they reach puberty. And only a few, about 5%, retain this feature. Episodes of somniloquy can be repeated every night, or they can occur rarely, for example, after a busy day at work or severe stress.

How does pathology manifest itself?

Sleep pathology can appear in people with mental disorders. Most often it is depression or insomnia.

Healthy people who talk in their sleep usually suffered severe stress or overwork the day before.

Involuntary muttering at night also occurs in people with sleep disorders. This pathology is manifested by nightmares or stopping breathing for a few seconds.

In a healthy person, episodes of sleep talk are more common during periods of shallow sleep. He starts mumbling as he falls asleep. After silence, the person then sleeps peacefully.

Less commonly, sleep deprivation occurs during REM sleep. During this period, a person dreams.

During REM sleep, movements of the eyeballs, movements of the hands are observed, and sometimes the speaker can ask meaningful questions to the partner. The words at this time sound clear and precise.

Why are talking in your sleep dangerous?

In themselves, such conversations are harmless, but there are several disadvantages. First, as we have already said, somniloquy can scare the neighbors.

The second sleep disorder may be a complication of another sleep disorder, such as REM sleep disorder. This is when people repeat in reality some movements from their dreams, they can twitch, moan, scream in their sleep. This may be a symptom of somnambulism, or, in other words, sleepwalking. And also nightmares, yes, this is also a violation. Or a sleep-related eating disorder.

Scientists from the University of Helsinki, Finland, note that there is reason to talk about common genetic causes of some sleep disorders. In the study, they studied 815 pairs of identical and 1,442 pairs of fraternal twins and found strong correlations between sleep talking and sleepwalking, teeth grinding, and nightmares.

If a person suddenly begins to talk in his sleep as an adult, and previously somniloquy had not manifested itself in any way, this may be a sign of incipient degenerative changes in the brain, for example, Parkinson's disease or dementia. In this situation, a person should consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

Speaking during sleep: features of the phenomenon

Somniloquy is a sleep disorder in which the sleeper talks while dreaming. After waking up, the “speaking” person does not remember what he dreamed and is not even aware of the night monologue. The attack of “talkiness” can be one-time (about 30 seconds) or repeated many times during the night.

It is important to know! This behavior often causes misunderstanding among others: unwitting listeners take what is said in a dream personally. This is an absolute misconception, since the sleeper reproduces individual vocal sounds, snatches of incomprehensible phrases completely unconsciously.

Moreover, the presence of such a feature can provoke a persistent fear in a person of going to bed outside his own home.

Why does a person talk in his sleep? Somnologists consider sleep talking a compensatory process that helps the transition between phases of dreams. It is known that slow and fast sleep alternate several times during the entire rest period. Unsolved "gibberish" usually appears during the shallow stage. It stops when moving to the next “turn of the spiral.” In this way, a person falls asleep deeper.

Manifestations of somniloquy

Among experts and researchers of dream problems, there is a conventional division of conversations in a dream. It is believed that depending on the nature and intonation of the tirade, a specific stage of peace can be determined:

• If the speech is articulate, logically connected and in understandable language, it means that the person is in a state of drowsiness or in the paradoxical phase of a dream.
• Vague interjections, repeated moans, screams, delusional phrases out loud indicate the peak of delta sleep (the deepest stage).

Some experts are inclined to believe that the meaning of what is said in a dream is directly related to the period of wakefulness. However, in practice, another, opposite theory is most often confirmed: scraps of words and sentences mean nothing and have no common meaning with a person’s life.

People who talk in their sleep

Statistics show that for about twenty adult individuals, there is one person who is talkative in their sleep. Most often this is a middle-aged man. Among young children, almost every second one can boast of nightly conversations.

It is important to know! Somniloquy is sometimes inherited by descendants from older relatives. Therefore, if your deceased great-great-grandfather was an oh, you need to mentally prepare for your own nightly “performances.”

The etiology of this fact has not been fully studied, but there is a direct connection between talking with closed eyes and daytime emotional shock. Moreover, stress can have the prefix “-di” (negative) and “-ai” (vice versa). This is explained by excitation in the center of the cerebral cortex, which occurs as a result of a strong “shake”. This area is associated with speech functions, which is why rich, varied literature appears.

Causes of sleep talking at different ages

Dreaming in itself is a normal phenomenon and is not a pathology. People talk in their sleep for a variety of reasons. Some of them are minor and easily eliminated. Others will not disappear without outside medical assistance. Depending on a person’s age, various conditions can serve as the basis for “talkativeness.” This table shows the possible relationship options:

It should be noted that babies who have not yet learned to talk often “chat” in their sleep. In this way they train and develop communication skills. As you grow older, the nervous system stabilizes and nighttime “tongue twisters” disappear.

Is it dangerous or not

In the vast majority of cases, somniloquy does not need to be treated; it does not entail serious consequences.

The exceptions are some variants of serious pathologies:

• Paradoxical sleep phase disorder. Manifests itself in excessive expressiveness, crying, sudden screams, and constantly calling someone by name. Sleepwalking with an eating disorder may develop. (This is when a person goes into the kitchen at night, opens the refrigerator and eats a lot, but in the morning he doesn’t remember anything like that).
• Epilepsy. Additional symptoms: regularity and accuracy of the timing of the seizure, aggressive reactions of the “sufferer”. There is significant confusion of consciousness (impossible to awaken). The famous foreign psychologist Louise Hay associates the appearance of regular attacks with a suppressed desire to escape (from circumstances, problems, unpleasant people). Therefore, it is necessary to analyze recent events, the patient’s environment and ensure maximum emotional comfort. This reason requires immediate medical attention. Treatment should be carried out by a qualified psychotherapist.

Isolated cases link talking in sleep with schizophrenia, psychopathy and other mental illnesses. Their diagnosis and identification is characterized by the presence of other specific signs. A sharp change in habits and behavior, constant doubts, excessive pedantry, perfectionism in small things is a good reason to contact an appropriate specialist.

Is there any meaning in the words of the sleeping man?

Many people think that what a person says in a dream is his secret thoughts and desires, as if it works, like with that proverb about a drunk who has everything on his tongue. Now, this is not true. According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, talking does not reflect previous behavior or memories.

Not only is up to 60% of what is said incomprehensible, but the rest simply doesn’t make any sense. It’s as if a neural network randomly formulated phrases according to the syntactic norms of the language.

In any case, dream speaking has so far been studied very poorly; there are real fears that scientists will soon refute everything that they have claimed before.

Be clearer!

Episodes of sleep talk most often occur during shallow slow-wave sleep. Therefore, if a person, falling asleep, begins to mutter something in gibberish, but soon falls silent and sleeps peacefully throughout the night, then there is nothing to worry about. Scientists suggest that when muttering in their sleep, some people are simply lulling themselves to sleep. In this case, the sounds produced are a kind of compensatory reaction that helps those who fall asleep move more easily from one phase of sleep to another.

It happens that people talk during the rapid phase of sleep, during which dreams occur. At the same time, the person actively moves his eyeballs, and in general can move: stand up, point a finger at some objects, sometimes even answer questions from a nearby partner. In this case, the sleeper’s speech is no longer muttering, but rather clear and clear words and phrases.

Article on the topic

The work of the subconscious: how dreams help solve problems and identify diseases Despite the fact that all this looks scary, sleep speaking is most often not a pathology. If, when waking up in the morning, a person does not detect excessive nervousness and hysteria, or, conversely, lethargy and lethargy, then everything is fine. It is not for nothing that, according to the international classification of sleep disorders from 2005, sleep speaking is classified as a conditionally normal manifestation. And if someone feels bad from talking in a dream, then it’s definitely not the person sleeping, but the one who is nearby.

To reduce the likelihood of chatting at night, you need to create a calm environment at home in the evening, do not watch horror films before bed, and do not read bad news. And try not to eat too much at night. The bedroom should be cool at night - stuffiness contributes to the appearance of sleep talk. And you should definitely spend as much time as possible outdoors.

How to stop talking in your sleep

1. How to avoid talking in your sleep? First, before going to bed, you need to completely relax. You can reduce emotional stress through meditation or yoga. Try to avoid bad news, scary movies and books before going to bed. Don't forget to ventilate your bedroom before going to bed. Taking a hot bath before bed is also a great way to relax.
2. Do not underestimate physical exercise during the day, it helps improve the quality and duration of our sleep. Just don't start exercising right before bed. An evening walk in the fresh air also has a positive effect on the quality of sleep.
3. Before going to bed (2-3 hours before bedtime), avoid heavy, spicy and fatty foods, alcohol and caffeine.

If the above recommendations do not help, consult your doctor.

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Article updated 03/31/2020

Prevention

In order not to disturb others with late-night conversations, you should approach everything that happens around you with a smile. You shouldn’t pay too much attention to the negative moments in life.

Before going to bed, it is better to stop watching TV. An evening walk would be a good replacement.

Before going to bed, you should ventilate the room. It is advisable that there are no objects in it that have odors. It is better to move even your favorite flowers with a strong aroma to another place.

If a child often talks in his sleep, then you should not tell him scary fairy tales in the evening or allow him to watch science fiction films. It is better to fill this time with benevolent and calm information.

When a loved one mumbles in their sleep for a few seconds, take it with humor. After all, this phenomenon is not harmful to health, and you can hear some pretty funny expressions from the chatterbox.

Treatment: how to get rid of the problem

There are no special regimens for the treatment of somniloquy. You should only go to the doctor if the phenomenon interferes with deep sleep, if it bothers others, if it is accompanied by sudden movements or even walking, or a feeling of fear .

If a child talks in his sleep and the phenomenon continues for a long time, and in the opinion of the parents, the reasons are not related to his emotional overexcitation, you can contact a pediatrician, neurologist or somnologist. To make the conversation more substantive, before visiting the doctor, it is worth observing the child for two to four weeks and writing down in a diary everything that happens - stress, taking medications, how many times the child spoke in his sleep and how long this condition lasted.

A specialist may suggest polysomnography for a more accurate diagnosis, especially if other sleep disorders are observed. No treatment is prescribed for normal non-hazardous speaking. If speaking is a consequence of another complex and serious disorder, then the underlying disease is treated.

When should you start worrying?

Problems in terms of physical and psycho-emotional health should be a cause for concern. For example, if severe fatigue appears. When the body cannot rest for a long time, even in sleep it continues to replay in the brain situations that occurred during the day. As a result, a person begins to talk in his sleep. Talking in a dream should alert you if it is accompanied by deviations such as sleepwalking. If you realize that you have not been able to rest for a long time, you need to see a doctor. Only a specialist can help correct this situation by prescribing appropriate treatment.

When dream talk occurs

Somniloquy occurs at any stage of sleep and at any time of the day. The intonation of spoken phrases depends on this:

• drowsiness phase - speech is understandable, and phrases are interconnected;
• delta phase - the deepest phase, when speech contains groans and delirium;
• transient awakenings - slurred speech, words are not spoken.

But this division is arbitrary, since it is not always known in what stage of sleep the subject is.

Medical therapy

The drug method of eliminating this condition is resorted to in rare cases. As a rule, the reason for prescribing drugs is the development of a serious pathology. Moreover, therapy in this case is aimed at ridding the person of the underlying illness. And as soon as the provocateur is defeated, the talker will begin to sleep normally.

And lastly, if the doctor cannot identify the cause of night conversations, they resort to polysomnography. Such a study allows us to identify the cause of disturbances in night rest.

How to treat sleep talking?

When choosing a treatment method for this disorder, one should proceed from why a person talks out loud in his sleep. If the reasons lie in some disease, it is necessary to be cured, thereby getting rid of its unpleasant symptoms. Many of those who have experienced some kind of stress, a difficult period or an illness that has undermined their health can turn to means of strengthening the nervous system:

• Vitamin and mineral complexes containing magnesium and vitamin B6. These microelements improve the functioning of nerve endings and help restore broken connections. Such drugs improve the quality of sleep, increase performance and relieve emotional stress.
• Herbal infusions with soothing herbs. Drinks with lemon balm and mint have a good effect on the nervous system. The well-known valerian, motherwort, and peony have a good calming effect. For people suffering from sleep disorders with nightly talking out loud, it will be useful to drink regular black tea with the addition of the listed herbs at night. If you have insomnia, you can turn to a collection of sedative herbs and undergo a course of treatment.
• Drugs to support the nervous system. If you have sleep disorders and irritability, you can ask your neurologist to select a suitable drug to relieve nervous tension - Afobazol, Novo-Passit, Persen.

Other measures that can remove the effects of stress will also give a good result in the fight against sleep-talking. If you often talk while you sleep, try changing your lifestyle: start playing sports, find time for rest and entertainment, don’t overeat, communicate with fun people who are interesting to you.

For those who inherited somniloquy from their parents and cannot get rid of it, our site recommends not to dwell on it. Do your late-night conversations bother your family? Give them earplugs or offer to drink a little decoction of soothing herbs with you before bed: those who sleep soundly are not disturbed by any sounds, and the feeling of closeness of a loved one only helps them calm down and get a good night's sleep.

Website www.sympaty.net – Beautiful and Successful. Author – Rybak Elena Nikolaevna. The article was checked by a practicing family doctor Elizaveta Anatolyevna Krizhanovskaya, work experience - 5 years. More information about the site's authors Copying this article is prohibited!

How to prepare before going to the doctor?

Isolated instances of speaking do not lead to a decision to visit a doctor. If a person experiences discomfort, the signs described above, and interferes with the sleep of loved ones, then it would be a good idea to go to the doctor. Since the problem is quite specific, the specialist will need some data. Write them down in advance.

How to prepare before going to the doctor? Note the following points:

Talk time. On average lasts for 30 seconds. Ask a loved one to record the dialogue and record its duration. Ask your parents in advance if similar cases occurred in childhood. If yes, what measures were taken. At what age were the conversations observed, and did anything influence their occurrence? Duration of sleep. Mark what time you go to bed and what time you get up in the morning every day. Remember if you woke up at night and for what reasons. Try to maintain a sleep schedule: set aside 7–9 hours for rest. At the same time, go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Taking medications. Write down all the medications you are currently using. Consider the medications you took 1–2 months before the onset of sleep talk. Evening ritual. Tell your doctor how you prepare for bed. What foods do you eat at night, what drinks do you drink. You fall asleep listening to a movie, a book, or only in complete silence and with the lights off.

Information about physical activity during the day will not be superfluous. Do not hide events that have left a mark on your life: the death of a loved one, unfair dismissal, a broken car or other stressful events. Having a complete picture, the doctor will quickly identify the causes of somniloquy and adjust your lifestyle.

What is sleep talking

What does it mean if a person talks in his sleep? What is the nature of this phenomenon, and is there something dangerous to health in late-night conversations? Most often, those who talk at night are not even aware of their problem and only learn about it from loved ones. As a rule, one episode lasts no more than 30 seconds, but can be repeated several times a night. At the same time, a person pronounces monologues or complex dialogues, talking to himself or addressing a specific person, muttering something inarticulate or simply screaming. Speech can be overly emotional: sleepers swear, shout threats or make remarks, and the phrases themselves are often obscene or offensive. It is not surprising that when they first hear about their peculiarity, many people experience embarrassment and shame, are afraid to fall asleep outside the home or in the company of unfamiliar people (in a train, hospital or sanatorium, for example) and try to understand what is happening to them.

People begin to be afraid to sleep, for example, on an airplane, when they learn this about themselves