Psychology Facts

▲ Sleep Talking ▲

》Sleep talking, formally known as somniloquy, is a sleep disorder characterized by talking during sleep without awareness of it. It can involve complex dialogues, gibberish, or mumbling. Fortunately, for most people, it's a rare and short-lived phenomenon.

》While the exact cause remains unclear, stress and mental health conditions may trigger sleep talking.

》Sleep talking is categorized as a type of parasomnia, which encompasses abnormal behaviors during sleep. Unlike most parasomnias that occur during specific parts of the sleep cycle, sleep talking can occur during either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM sleep.

》A linguistic study of somniloquy revealed that roughly half of recorded sleep talking was incomprehensible, often consisting of mumbling or silent speech. The other half comprised comprehensible speech resembling typical conversations, featuring grammatical standards and pauses as if engaging with another person. Many utterances were negative or profane, suggesting conflict-driven dialogue during sleep. However, individuals are typically unaware of their sleep talking episodes and have no recollection upon waking.

》Sleep talking is typically comprehensible to a bed partner during the REM stage of sleep. In other stages, it may sound like gibberish.

》It's common for children to outgrow somniloquy, with only around 5% of adults being sleep-talkers.

》In many cases, sleep talking has a genetic component, meaning if you have it, it's likely that some of your family members do too.

》While somniloquy is typically explained biologically, there could also be a spiritual component involving stirred-up emotional trauma or the body unconsciously processing internal conflicts.

》Sleep talking seems to be more prevalent in individuals with mental health conditions, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being particularly associated with it. However, most cases of sleep talking are not believed to be linked to mental illness overall.

》Causes of sleep talking may include: sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol, drugs, fever, anxiety, and depression.

》Sleep talking is more commonly observed in men and children.

》Typically, sleep talking lasts no longer than 30 seconds.

》Sleep talking is generally not considered dangerous or problematic. However, it may raise concern if it begins after the age of 25, as it could potentially be related to another medical issue.