Sleep Talking
Sleep talking is a common disorder in sleep in which the person unconsciously speaks while in sleep while being unaware of it. This can range from lightly mumbling to complete dialogue with them. Anyone can experience sleep talking, but it’s most common in men and children.
Sleep talkers aren’t aware that they are speaking, so the language can range from different tones, words, or the general way that the person speaks. It’s even possible to respond to someone attempting conversation with the sleep talker.
Although sleep talking is generally a standalone problem that normally only occurs monthly, some other symptoms of sleep talking may include:
- Nightmares or “Sleep Terrors”
- Sleep walking
- Disturbed REM sleep
- Psychiatric problems
Sleep talking is common and rarely occurs so often that it can be a problem. However, if the sleep talking problem has been occurring for more than a year, and the subject talks nearly every night, it may be an issue. Please contact a doctor if this is the case.
Sleep Walking
Sleepwalking is a behavior that causes the person to walk around or perform other complex tasks while remaining asleep. It’s more common in children than adults, and since the sleepwalker is deep in sleep stages, it’s difficult to wake up and is usually not remembered by them afterward.
Symptoms include walking around the bed, walking around the house, and in extreme cases, walking out of the house and driving long distances in vehicles. Sleep terrors and sleep talking can also be involved.
About 1 to 15% of the population experiences sleep walking, and the prevalence of sleepwalking in adults is not common.