Sleep Talking (Somniloquy)04:27

Do you talk in your sleep? If you do, you are not alone. Trace Dominguez explains that sleep talking, formally known as somniloquy, is actually rather common. In fact, up to fifty percent of children and five percent of adults sleep talk.

Sleep talking is not a one size fits all thing. For example, when most people sleep talk, they only whisper while other people shout in their sleep. Further, while most people only speak in very short utterances, other people can actually have full conversations while they are asleep. In this article, we are going to look at the cause for all these different kinds of sleep, along with how you can figure out whether or not you, too, are a sleep talker.

Is Sleeping Talking a Sign of Stress?

Yes, stress is actually one of the most common causes for sleep taking in adults. Despite the fact that scientists have not fully figured out why the two are connected, the evidence that they are connected is clearly supported. This means that if you are looking to stop sleep talking, you may want to start by figuring out how to manage your stress. You can try any number of mindfulness techniques, from yoga to journaling.

If you find your stress is chronic and therefore causing you to sleep talk all the time, you may want to consider talking to your physician for some better solutions. On the other hand, if you sleep talking is being caused by a short period of stress in your life, there is no reason to worry. As soon as the stressful event or time period has passed, the sleep talking should cease. In the meantime, anyone that sleeps in the same room as you may want to consider investing in some earplugs or a noise machine.

What Causes You to Talk in Your Sleep?

What about if you are not stressed? There are actually a variety of other things that might be causing you to talk in your sleep. First, it may be some kind of sleep disorder. For example, a disorder called REM sleep behavior disorder or RBD. RBD is characterized by people yelling, grunting, and otherwise acting out their dreams while asleep.

Another possible sleep disorder connected to sleep talking is night terrors. People with night terrors often thrash, yell, and kick while they are asleep. It is often extremely difficult to wake up people who are experiencing night terrors.

Some things cause sleep talking that has nothing to do with any sleep disorders. For example, many people will sleep talk more when they are sick or have a fever. Other possible causes include certain medications, alcohol, and a wide variety of different mental health disorders, including depression and PTSD.

Do Sleep Talkers Tell the Truth?

If you are a sleep talker, you may be concerned that you are going to give all your secrets away as soon as you shut your eyes. The good news is that most of the time, sleep talkers do not say anything truthful or of importance. In fact, most sleep talkers speak in short, jumbled utterances that do not make any sense.

So while your sleep talking may annoy your partner at night, you are not going to tell them anything you would not want them to know. You are likely not going to tell them anything at all.

Is It Bad to Wake a Sleep Talker?

You may have heard that it is bad to wake up a sleepwalker or talker, but does this hold any truth to it?

Waking up a person while they are sleep talking is not going to hurt them in any way. Sometimes, it is necessary to wake them up if they are keeping you awake all night or walking towards danger. However, there are some precautions that you should take.

When you are waking a sleep talker, try to do so gently. If you wake someone out of a deep sleep abruptly (whether they are talking or not), they are likely to wake up confused. If they do not recognize you, they may be agitated and act aggressively until they realize what is happening.

Can Sleeping Position Impact Sleep Talk?

Sleep talk has not been shown to be related to any specific sleeping positions. Side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers have all been known to sleep talk at times. However, changing your sleeping position is always worth a try when you are having sleep problems, as it will not cause any harm.

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Further, changing your sleeping position could help solve the cause of your sleep talking. For example, if you are sleep talking because you are too stressed, stress can be made worse by not getting enough sleep. If your sleeping position is not comfortable or causing you pain, you will not sleep well. If you are not getting enough sleep, you can also consider changing things like pillows, sheets, or your mattress.

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Can Sleep Talking Be Cured?

There is no set treatment for sleep talking as there is no one cause or reason for the problem. However, there are cures for some of the different causes for sleep talking. For example, if you sleep talking is caused by a certain medication you are taking, you can talk to your physician about changing the medication. Further, if your sleep talking is caused by a mental disorder, if you seek treatment for that disorder, the sleep talking should eventually subside.

Why Do I Moan in my Sleep?

Moanin or groaning in your sleep is otherwise known as catathrenia. Groaning while sleeping is also quite common, though it is often louder than sleep talk and therefore may be more disturbing to those around you.

Unfortunately, there is no direct cause that scientists have found for this phenomenon. It has not been connected to any breathing problems, sleeping disorders, or brain abnormalities. If you find that sleep groaning is severely disrupting your sleep or your partner’s sleep, you may want to see a sleep specialist. They will be able to present you with possible solutions to help solve the problem.

How Do You Know If You Talk in Your Sleep

It can be hard to know if you talk in your sleep because you are not awake to hear yourself and do not remember that it happened by the time you wake up. Even if you sleep with a partner, they may not be aware of your sleep talking if it is always brief and relatively quiet. So how do you figure out if you are a sleep talker?

There are a couple of things that you can do to figure it out. First, you could consider getting a sleep study done. During a sleep study, everything that happens while you sleep will be noted, including sleep talking. However, a sleep study can be rather expensive, especially if it is not medically necessary. In that case, you may want to consider using an app or a different kind of sleep tracker to record your sleep patterns and any noises that you make in the night.

What Is The Best Sleep Talking App?

There are apps on both iPhones and Androids that can be used to record your sleep talking and any other noises that occur during the night. One of the best sleep talking apps that you can get on both apple and android devices is called Dream Talk Recorder. This app will record and track both any sleep talking or snoring that occurs during the night. Even if you know that you are a sleep talker, it can be fun to figure out the kinds of things that you are saying.

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Monitor Your Sleep

Beyond just tracking sleep talking, it can be really beneficial to use a sleep tracker to monitor how much you are sleeping and the quality of the sleep. Sleep is really important to your health, so you may suffer physically and mentally if you are not getting enough of it. Using a sleep tracker can help you figure out what affects your sleep both positively and negatively, including stress, diet, position, etc.

You can also use a sleep tracker that tracks the quality of your sleep to figure out if your sleep talking is actually a problem. If you talking in your sleep is not affecting the quality of your or your partner’s sleep, there is no major reason to worry about it. However, if your sleep tracker indicates that it is a major hindrance to your sleep, you know it is time to talk to your doctor.

In conclusion, sleep talking is a really common problem that any number of different things may cause. Further, it does not necessarily have to be treated as a big problem unless it is preventing you from getting a good night’s rest. Nevertheless, while you cannot treat the sleep talking itself, you can treat the causes, whether it is stress, physical or mental illness, or a sleep disorder. In the end, any concern that you have about your sleep and health should be brought up with your physician.