Sleep Talking: Definition, Symptoms, Traits, Causes, Treatment

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsCausesTypesTreatmentCopingPreventionHow Is Sleep Talking Diagnosed?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs

Causes

Types

Treatment

Coping

Prevention

How Is Sleep Talking Diagnosed?

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Sleep talking, also known assomniloquy, is a relatively common phenomenon among children.However, only around 5% of adults talk in their sleep on a regular basis.

Sleep talking is usually harmless and does not require treatment. Most people who sleep talk do not remember doing it. However, if sleep talking is frequent and disrupts your sleep or the sleep of others, it may be a sign of an underlyingsleep disordersuch as restless leg syndrome orsleep apnea. In these cases, treatment may be necessary.

Signs of Sleep Talking

Sleep talking can range from mumbling a few words to carrying on full conversations. It usually happens during the transition from wakefulness to sleep (the hypnagogic state) or from sleep to wakefulness (the hypnopompic state).

However, it can also occur during deep sleep. Sleep talking is considered aparasomnia, which is a type of sleep disorder that involves abnormal behaviors or experiences that happen during sleep:

Most people who talk in their sleep don’t have any recollection of the things they said during their episodes.

Causes of Sleep Talking

Below is a list of potential causes of sleep talking:

However, in many cases, there is no clear cause for sleep talking.

Types of Sleep Talking

Below is a list of the various types of sleep talking:

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Treatment for Sleep Talking

Most people do not require treatment for sleep talking. If sleep talking is disruptive to your sleep or the sleep of others, there are some things you can do to reduce the frequency or severity:

If sleep talking is a symptom of an underlying sleep disorder, treatment of the disorder may be necessary. For example, if sleep apnea is the cause, a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine may be prescribed to help keep your airway open during sleep.If restless leg syndrome is the cause, medications may be prescribed to relieve the symptoms.

Coping With Sleep Talking

If you live with someone who sleep talks, there are some things you can do to make the situation more manageable:

If sleep talking is disrupting your life or the lives of those around you, talk to a doctor. They can help determine if there is an underlying sleep disorder causing the sleep talking and recommend treatment options.

Prevention of Sleep Talking

There’s no formal diagnosis process for somniloquy since it’s not considered a medical condition. The diagnosis is usually made based on self-reports or reports from bed partners or roommates.

A doctor may ask about any medications you’re taking or any medical conditions you have that could be contributing to your symptoms. They may also ask about your general mental health and whether you’ve been under anyunusual stress lately.

In some cases, a doctor may order a polysomnogram—a diagnostic test that uses sensors to measure various aspects of your sleep—to rule out other potential causes for your symptoms such asinsomniaor sleep apnea.

A Word From Verywell

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking.Ghibellini R, Meier B.The hypnagogic state: A brief update [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 26].J Sleep Res. 2022;e13719. doi:10.1111/jsr.13719Dauvilliers Y, Tafti M.The genetic basis of sleep disorders.Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(32):3386-3395. doi:10.2174/138161208786549308Steardo L Jr, de Filippis R, Carbone EA, Segura-Garcia C, Verkhratsky A, De Fazio P.Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Neuroglia and Circadian Rhythms.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:501. Published 2019 Jul 18. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00501Arnulf I, Uguccioni G, Gay F, et al.What Does the Sleeping Brain Say? Syntax and Semantics of Sleep Talking in Healthy Subjects and in Parasomnia Patients.Sleep. 2017;40(11):10.1093/sleep/zsx159. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx159Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Batool-Anwar S, Goodwin JL, Kushida CA, et al.Impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).J Sleep Res. 2016;25(6):731-738. doi:10.1111/jsr.12430Rundo JV, Downey R 3rd.Polysomnography.Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;160:381-392. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00025-4

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking.Ghibellini R, Meier B.The hypnagogic state: A brief update [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 26].J Sleep Res. 2022;e13719. doi:10.1111/jsr.13719Dauvilliers Y, Tafti M.The genetic basis of sleep disorders.Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(32):3386-3395. doi:10.2174/138161208786549308Steardo L Jr, de Filippis R, Carbone EA, Segura-Garcia C, Verkhratsky A, De Fazio P.Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Neuroglia and Circadian Rhythms.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:501. Published 2019 Jul 18. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00501Arnulf I, Uguccioni G, Gay F, et al.What Does the Sleeping Brain Say? Syntax and Semantics of Sleep Talking in Healthy Subjects and in Parasomnia Patients.Sleep. 2017;40(11):10.1093/sleep/zsx159. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx159Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Batool-Anwar S, Goodwin JL, Kushida CA, et al.Impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).J Sleep Res. 2016;25(6):731-738. doi:10.1111/jsr.12430Rundo JV, Downey R 3rd.Polysomnography.Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;160:381-392. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00025-4

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking.Ghibellini R, Meier B.The hypnagogic state: A brief update [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 26].J Sleep Res. 2022;e13719. doi:10.1111/jsr.13719Dauvilliers Y, Tafti M.The genetic basis of sleep disorders.Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(32):3386-3395. doi:10.2174/138161208786549308Steardo L Jr, de Filippis R, Carbone EA, Segura-Garcia C, Verkhratsky A, De Fazio P.Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Neuroglia and Circadian Rhythms.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:501. Published 2019 Jul 18. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00501Arnulf I, Uguccioni G, Gay F, et al.What Does the Sleeping Brain Say? Syntax and Semantics of Sleep Talking in Healthy Subjects and in Parasomnia Patients.Sleep. 2017;40(11):10.1093/sleep/zsx159. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx159Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Batool-Anwar S, Goodwin JL, Kushida CA, et al.Impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).J Sleep Res. 2016;25(6):731-738. doi:10.1111/jsr.12430Rundo JV, Downey R 3rd.Polysomnography.Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;160:381-392. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00025-4

American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking.

Ghibellini R, Meier B.The hypnagogic state: A brief update [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 26].J Sleep Res. 2022;e13719. doi:10.1111/jsr.13719

Dauvilliers Y, Tafti M.The genetic basis of sleep disorders.Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(32):3386-3395. doi:10.2174/138161208786549308

Steardo L Jr, de Filippis R, Carbone EA, Segura-Garcia C, Verkhratsky A, De Fazio P.Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Neuroglia and Circadian Rhythms.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:501. Published 2019 Jul 18. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00501

Arnulf I, Uguccioni G, Gay F, et al.What Does the Sleeping Brain Say? Syntax and Semantics of Sleep Talking in Healthy Subjects and in Parasomnia Patients.Sleep. 2017;40(11):10.1093/sleep/zsx159. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx159

Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006

Batool-Anwar S, Goodwin JL, Kushida CA, et al.Impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).J Sleep Res. 2016;25(6):731-738. doi:10.1111/jsr.12430

Rundo JV, Downey R 3rd.Polysomnography.Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;160:381-392. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00025-4

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