Talking in The Sleep
Somniloquy : Do You Talk in Your Sleep?
Have you ever been told that you whisper in your sleep? Did you ever hear your child mumbling in the middle of night? Are you hoping that your partner will reveal a secret in his sleep? So what is sleep-talking? And what causes it? And how do we get rid of it?
Talking in sleep or somniloquy is type of parasomnia – abnormal behavior that occurs during sleep, but usually it is not viewed as a medical problem, and it is not dangerous.
People who speak in their sleep can use harsh words or even swearing. Sometimes that can be offensive to those who can hear them. Usually the dream lasts no more than 30 seconds, but some people talk much longer than that.
Sleep talks can be very substantial and meaningful, but very hard to understand because the person is not talking clearly. These talks can be short or long complicated sounds. It looks like one is living his own dream. If you share a bedroom with someone who speaks in his sleep, you might not be able to sleep very peacefully.
To whom does it happen? This happens to many people. Half of children between 3 and 10 years talk during sleep to only 5% of adults. This may occur occasionally or every night. According to 2004 survey, one out of ten young children from both genders talks in sleep more than few nights in week. Experts believe that somniloquy may be hereditary.
What are the causes of sleep-talking?
- Rem behaviour disorder, night eating disorder, and parasomnia.
- Specific drugs
- Emotional stress
- Temperature of the body
- Mental health
What is the treatment?
It would be good to visit a specialist in sleep disorders or a doctor to talk about the problem and try to realise its causes. If your child has trouble sleeping, take him to the pediatrician. The specialist will always ask how long you talk in your sleep. This should be answered by your partner, parents or roommates.
There are no special tests to determine whether you are talking in your sleep or not. However, doctors can perform sleep recording (polisomnogram) to see if you have symptoms of another disorder.
Talking in a sleep rarely requires treatment. However, permanent and serious cases may be result of a more serious disorder that must be treated.
How can one reduce sleep-talking?
Until now, there is no cure for this condition but you can make it less frequent by:
- Avoiding stress (click here for some effective anti-stress remedies)
- Getting enough sleep
- Reducing medicine intake that you believe causes sleep-talking
- Control what you eat and drink. Avoid eating before bed. Especially avoid alcohol and drinks that contain caffeine such as coffee, tea, and cola.
- Note down everything that can help the doctors to identify the cause of your problem, like what time you go to bed, when do you feel asleep, when do you wake up, what kind of dreams you have…etc
- Late physical activity can help you sleep better and deeper, and prevent or reduce sleep-talking.
Interesting article: Women Have Different Dreams than Men
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