Statistics say that only 5% of adults and 30% of children have the ability to talk in their sleep. Probably each of us is familiar with at least one such person. There is an opinion in society that during such a conversation one can blurt out all the secrets. There is no single answer from science. Some experts claim that this is not true, others are sure that during sleep a person only talks about what really happened to him, and on the last day.
Everything would be fine, but sometimes people not only talk in their sleep, but also toss and turn a lot. This may disturb the partner who sleeps next to you. To solve this problem, you can buy an orthopedic mattress of a suitable type.
The only thing that is known for sure is that a person can pronounce words or sentences during such phases of sleep: fast and slow sleep.
What’s interesting is that in the first case it is difficult to wake up a person suffering from sleep-speaking, but in the second it is very easy. Sometimes he himself can wake up from the sounds of his own voice, although he will not even realize that he said anything.
By the way, scientists call talking in a dream a term such as somniloquy . It appeared a long time ago, because many years ago people were interested in solving the mystery of why people talk in their sleep. Despite the fact that modern sciences have come far, the secrets of the human subconscious for the most part remain secrets, and therefore it is still impossible to accurately name the reason for talking in a dream.
What is somniloquy and what are its features?
Somniloquy is talking in your sleep. This phenomenon is absolutely harmless to the human body. It can become a medical problem only if the speech lasts a long time or is accompanied by screams.
Often such mutterings are meaningless and do not contain any important information.
A person can talk in his sleep for no more than 30 seconds. Such episodes occur during REM sleep.
During this period, the brain begins to work actively, breathing becomes frequent, and the person sees a vivid dream.
Conversations at night are considered pathological only if they are accompanied by uncontrolled movements and loud shouts.
This may be a sign of the following disorders:
- somnambulism;
- nightmares;
- restless legs syndrome;
- nocturnal appetite syndrome.
Such pathologies can appear after a strong emotional experience, fever, excessive use of alcohol or drugs.
About half of children aged 3 to 10 talk out loud in their sleep. During puberty, this phenomenon disappears on its own. Only in 5% of cases does it persist for life.
Episodes of sleep talk may occur rarely or, conversely, repeat every night. It can be triggered by hard work or severe stress.
Sleep-speaking has not been fully studied and it is impossible to say for sure who is more susceptible to it, men or women. The only thing known is that this habit is associated with sleepwalking and is inherited.
According to psychologists, a person remembers in a dream what he talked about the day before, and utters the words that he spoke with his own lips.
Sometimes catophrenia can be the reason why a person moos in his sleep. This disorder is a sleep disorder.
Moans appear at night, usually after emotional stress. Catophrenia does not require specific treatment.
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.
Reasons for talking in your sleep at different ages
The main reasons for talking in a dream are:
- depression. During this period, sleep disturbance occurs. He becomes superficial and restless. Sometimes the night guards can make you scream;
- neuroses. Such neuropsychiatric disorders are also accompanied by sleep disturbances;
- various diseases. For example, pneumonia, in addition to high fever, is accompanied by delirium and muttering;
- brain injuries. This includes contusions and injuries resulting from illness. Injuries can disrupt the centers that control sleep and speech;
- diseases of the central nervous system. These are diseases affecting the spinal cord and brain;
- severe mental illness. Mentally ill people often behave inappropriately. They can sit in bed at night and talk.
Also, late-night conversations can be triggered by a heavy dinner or drinking coffee.
Temporary sleep disturbances are caused by difficult news, an aggressive attitude, and increased impressionability.
In children
Pediatricians say that sleepwalking in children is harmless. If a child talks in his sleep, this, on the contrary, helps him adapt to the outside world.
Children's nervous systems are less stable than those of adults, and even a joyful event can become stressful for them.
With the help of muttering, babies help themselves move into the next stage of sleep, as if they lull themselves to sleep.
Children who are learning to speak often mutter familiar words in their sleep. Afterwards it is easier for them to reproduce them in reality.
If sleepwalking is accompanied by sleepwalking, confusion after waking up, or nightmares, this is a reason to contact a pediatric neurologist.
In teenagers
Teenagers are less likely to suffer from sleep deprivation, as their psyche becomes more stable.
In some cases, night muttering can be inherited, mainly through the male line.
In adults
Statistics say that 1 in 20 people talk in their sleep.
Men rarely have such episodes, but women talk almost every night. This is explained by the fact that ladies are more emotional and can get stressed even from a bright, positive emotion.
Sleep talking in adults is observed due to strong physical or emotional stress.
After stress at night, during sleep, the centers in the cerebral cortex that are responsible for speech are excited, and the person begins to mutter.
In the elderly
This phenomenon may occur in older people after taking certain medications.
An overdose of antipsychotics and tranquilizers causes a hallucination, which is accompanied by talking in a dream.
Additional signs
If the patient begins to talk while sleeping, you need to pay attention to the behavior. Symptoms indicating pathology can appear both during night rest and while awake. Often these are subtle signs that are not associated with any disorders:
- the patient grinds his teeth at night;
- during wakefulness, absent-mindedness and impaired concentration are observed;
- there is a lack of coordination in space;
- decreased cognitive functions, including memory and intelligence;
- the child walks and talks in his sleep;
- signs of restlessness and anxiety appear during the daytime;
- there is a decrease in mood, frequent tearfulness;
- lack of motivation and decreased performance (apathy);
- lack of appetite and weight loss.
If these symptoms appear, it is recommended to consult a neurologist for examination. It is important to exclude diseases of the nervous system and parasomnic disorders. For example, if the patient sleeps with his eyes open and moves around in a sleeping state, somnambulism must be excluded.
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.
Concerns
You need to be wary in the following cases:
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On many forums you can find phrases such as “I talk at night in my sleep.” Many people want to get rid of this. Moreover, often a person wakes up from conversations, and can also interfere with others’ rest.
Is somniloquy dangerous?
Although somniloquy may seem scary at first, in most cases it is not dangerous.
If after waking up a person experiences a little lethargy and lethargy, this is normal.
Speaking during night sleep is dangerous if it is accompanied by aggression when trying to wake up the speaker. This may be a sign of epilepsy.
You should also consult a doctor if you have additional neurological symptoms, such as:
- enuresis;
- grinding of teeth;
- salivation;
- attacks of suffocation.
In this case, the doctor will prescribe medications that improve blood circulation in the brain. This will make your sleep more restful.
Survey
First, you need to contact a psychotherapist who will conduct tests to identify signs of anxiety, decreased mood and hyperactivity. Particular attention is paid to the child’s relationships with parents and peers. Key risk factors are identified. If necessary, the patient is referred to another specialist. Consultation with a neurologist, child psychiatrist, endocrinologist, epileptologist and therapist may be required.
Special examinations:
- Long-term psychological observation. Regular consultations help to identify the prerequisites for the occurrence of sleep talking.
- Study of the functioning of the brain during wakefulness and sleep: electroencephalography, somnography. If necessary, visual examinations are performed to exclude organic brain damage.
- Examination of internal organs, including the study of hormonal levels.
It is important to inform the specialist about the medications you are taking, diagnosed diseases and other symptoms.
Help and treatment
In most cases, no serious treatment is required.
Drug treatment is used if night conversations appear in adulthood, the person experiences sleepwalking, and the muttering is accompanied by swearing or nightmares.
Treatment is mainly outpatient, with inpatient treatment only in severe cases. The drugs used are antipsychotics, tranquilizers, and antidepressants.
Psychotherapy sessions are conducted with the patient.
In some cases, cognitive cognitive therapy, gestalt therapy, and hypnosis are used.
All this allows us to identify and overcome the causes of night monologues.
Herbal infusions
The best recipes are:
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.
Recommendations
There are several more effective recipes for sound sleep that will help anyone cope with the problem:
The room must be in order. If there is not enough fresh air, there are unpleasant odors, dust, then you will not be able to get a full night’s sleep in this environment. Therefore, it is necessary to clean up and remove all unnecessary things. This is necessary to improve your state of mind and restful sleep.
All matters must be left for tomorrow. You should not remember the whole day, analyze failures and problems. This can lead to insomnia and other sleep disorders. With new strength, all difficulties will not seem as difficult as in the evening.
Baths
For a sound sleep you need a warm bath. Its temperature should be no more than 38 degrees. You can add a few drops of oil to the water - chamomile, mint, lavender. You should not use only citrus fruits, as they have a tonic effect. The procedure is performed in no more than 20 minutes. After this you can go to bed.
