Whether you do it or your partner; talking in your sleep is pretty weird. Some people mumble, others hold whole conversations or even start yelling. But why do we actually do it?
What is talking in your sleep?
Talking in your sleep is a form of parasomnia, a mild form of insomnia that causes you to move and dream abnormally. You can talk at any stage of sleep, but it usually happens during the transition from being awake to the NREM or REM stage. Normally speaking in your sleep takes no more than thirty seconds.
Why?
It is often thought that people who talk in their sleep have a bad dream. But that is not always the case. According to the National Sleep Foundation, it can be caused by a variety of things, including stress, depression, alcohol, fever, and even certain medications. Many think it runs in the family, but it can also be caused by other sleep problems, such as pavor nocturnus (sleep terror). You wake up screaming in the night and you don’t know where you are or what happened.
To deal with
Normally you shouldn’t worry about talking in your sleep. But if it affects your sleep, or that of your partner, it may be time to see a sleep professional. In any case, it is always smart to go to the doctor to see if it is a harmless mumbling or if it is something more serious, such as a severe sleep disorder or anxiety. If not and you want to get rid of it anyway, try to reduce the stress in your life and get eight hours of sleep every night.
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