What is Sleep Talking?

One form of parasomnia is sleep talking. Disturbed behaviours that occur during sleep are known as parasomnias. As opposed to most parasomnias, which manifest only during particular phases of the sleep cycle, sleep talking can occur during either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM sleep episodes.

Other vocalisations that can occur during sleep, such as catatonia, are thought to be distinct from sleep talking, which is considered to be a distinct form of sleep talking.

How Common is Sleep Talking?

One of the most common types of parasomnias is sleep talking, which is experienced by people who have encountered episodes of that phenomenon. It is important to note that sleep-talking is not a common occurrence; just 17% of persons have reported experiencing sleep-talking episodes over the past three months. Even those who talk while sleeping regularly might need to be videotaped for at least four nights to document an episode.

Sleep talking is a phenomenon that is more prevalent in youngsters and is thought to affect a smaller percentage of adults. It is possible that the facts about the prevalence of sleep talking are not accurate. This is because individuals are only very infrequently aware of episodes. It is common for a member of the family or a bed partner to be the source of reports of sleep talking.

What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Talking?

The most predominant symptom of sleep talking is an audible expression that takes place while the individual is sleeping without the individual being aware that it is taking place. It can be a form of nonsense or regular speech.

According to the findings of a linguistic study carried out on somniloquy, around half of the recorded sleep speech was incomprehensible. Mumbling, silent speech, or sleep talking that was masked by cushions or blankets were the typical forms of sleep talking that occurred in these instances.

Is Sleep Talking Dangerous?

The majority of the time, chatting while sleeping is completely harmless. When it does occur, it typically does not have a significant impact on the individual’s ability to sleep, and it typically does not occur frequently enough to cause any significant issues. But there are specific circumstances in which sleep talking might lead to complications, including the following:

• If a bed partner or roommate is bothered by sleep talking, it has the potential to disrupt their sleep and contribute to issues such as difficulties sleeping or excessive daytime sleepiness.
• The individual talking in their sleep and their bed mate may experience embarrassment or tension as a result of the humiliating nature of the conversation that takes place while they are sleeping.

What Causes Sleep Talking?

The reason that people converse when they are sleeping is a mystery to the experts. It has been found in some research that sleep talking can be inherited from one generation to the next, which provides evidence that it may have a genetic component.

During research conducted on twins, it was discovered that sleep talking occurs more commonly in conjunction with sleepwalking, teeth grinding, and nightmares in both children and adults. These things all may have some kind of genetic connection. To have a deeper comprehension of these possible links, additional research is required.

Conclusion

The diagnosis of sleep talking does not require any tests to be performed. If, on the other hand, you exhibit symptoms that are consistent with another sleep disorder, your physician may decide to conduct tests such as a sleep study or a sleep recording (polysomnogram).

The therapy of sleep talking is an uncommon occurrence. It is possible, however, that severe sleep talking is the result of a more serious sleep problem or medical condition, both of which are treatable. You should discuss the various treatment choices with your physician.