Sleep talking is a very common thing. Half of all children between the ages of 3 and 10 regularly talk in their sleep and 5% of all adults keep conversing after they fall asleep. A survey conducted in 2004 showed that 1 in 10 young children talk in their sleep for a few days a week. One interesting fact about this condition is that experts think it runs in the family.
Many people worry whether sleep talking is dangerous and why does it happen? Is stress the root to our sleep talking and can it be dangerous for our health? This article is dedicated to answering all your questions regarding sleep talking.
Sleep talking can happen in any sleep phase and people who usually rumble on in their sleep never remember about it in the morning. To most people sleep talking is completely harmless, it can be annoying though to the people you share a room with, says Natali Dautovic MD from the University in Alabama.
What causes sleep talking?
Sleep talking can happen as a result of some serious sleep disorders, like apnea, but it can also happen due to nightmares, REM disorders (when the person starts acting out his dreams), fever, sleep deprivation, depression, stress and drug and alcohol consumption.
Is sleep talking dangerous?
If it’s disturbing your sleep or disrupting your everyday life Dr. Dautovic advises consulting a doctor. If it doesn’t allow you to get a decent night’s sleep or it makes you wake up during the night you increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and obesity. According to Dr. Dautovic everything that disrupts your sleep can be problematic and potentially dangerous.
If you want to talk to someone who sleep talks bear in mind it may be impossible. It depends. Sleep talking can be a spontaneous act or it can be inspired by conversation. Just remember that the person who sleep talks probably won’t remember doing it in the morning.
Can sleep talking be reduced and how?
So far no known cure for sleep talking exists. Try to avoid stressful situations and get plenty of sleep whenever you can. This might reduce the chances for sleep talking. Keeping a sleep journal can help you identify the sleep patterns and can help your doctor discover if there are any underlying problems behind the sleep talking.
If you want to start a sleep journal do it continuously for 2 weeks. Note down when you go to bed, when you think you fell asleep and the time when you wake up. You should also note down what medicine you take and when, when and how much coffee, tea and alcohol you drink and when you exercise. This can help you determine certain patterns which might be causing your sleep talking.
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