Dream Talk: The Science and Secrets Behind Sleep Talking

More than half of the people have talked in sleep, but what is sleep talk? Experts say sleep talking is a normal change in human sleep behavior, which is related to genes, memory, stress, and lack of sleep. People usually talk in the “non-rapid eye movement” (NREM), but if it occurs in the “rapid eye movement” (REM), it may evolve into “rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder”, such as shouting, slapping, etc., and even May be early symptoms of Parkinson’s or dementia.

Foreign media “Live Science” (Live Science) reported that sleep talking refers to a person making sounds while falling asleep, including words, short sentences, muttering, shouting or laughter. Sleep talking is experienced by more than half of all people, can occur in any age group, and is more common in children.

A study published in Sleep Medicine in 2010 found that two-thirds of adults had sleep talk at least once as adults; a study published in Brain & Development in 1980 showed that half of children They talk in their sleep one or more times a year, and even a quarter of the children talk in their sleep at least once a week.

Sleep talking is not a sleep disorder, but a normal variation in human sleep behavior. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders lists sleep talking, snoring, or sleep jerks as “isolated symptoms, apparent normal variations, and unresolved problems.”

5 reasons why you talk in your sleep

◎1 gene (with family history)

◎2 The brain is converting short-term memory into long-term memory

◎3 Brain development in childhood

◎４Pressure

◎5 Insufficient sleep

The reason for sleep talking is not clear, but researchers speculate that it is related to brain activity. Erik K. St. Louis, director of sleep neurology at the Mayo Clinic in the US, said the analysis showed similarities between sleep talking and normal waking speech. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Sleep, the language, patterns, syntax and semantics of sleep talk follow the same rules as people’s daily conversations.

Sleep talking may also be related to memory, and because the brain stores important experiences in long-term memory during sleep, a 2018 article in Sleep Medicine Reviews suggests that it may be that the brain is screening memories at the time, so people say Dream talk “oral replay”.

The reasons for sleep talking in children and adults may be different. Sleep talking and other unusual sleep behaviors are more common in children. This may be related to the stage of brain development in childhood, and the child’s brain “learns what not to do while sleeping.” Jennifer Martin, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says that most children grow out of these nighttime chatters, although future episodes of stress or sleep deprivation can still occur.

As far as sleep talking in adults may be related to genetic factors, according to a 2001 study published in the journal Psychiatric Genetics, sleep talking runs in families. Sleep talking may accompany obstructive sleep apnea, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Dream talk reflects inner secrets?

Many people believe that sleep talk reflects a person’s deepest secrets. But according to a 2017 study published in the journal Sleep, 3,349 recordings confirmed that most of the words in the sleep talk were “no”, and the other half of the sleep talk was unrecognizable. Therefore, according to experts’ evaluation, it seems that people’s dream talk is not a secret in their hearts, and the content of dream talk is still a mystery.

A 2009 study published in the journal Sleep found that some people talk in their dreams and utter phrases that match their dreams. But most sleep talking has nothing to do with dreaming, Martin said, because it usually occurs during the “non-REM period,” when the brain enters deep slow-wave sleep with reduced activity.

As for the “rapid eye movement period”, the brain is active and the muscles of the body are relaxed and limp. If a person dreams during REM, it may be a symptom of a more serious problem. REM sleep behavior disorder, which can turn into violent sleep behaviors such as yelling, punching and kicking that cause injury to the patient or bed partner, can also be the first signs of Parkinson’s disease or dementia, St. Louis said symptom. If the above conditions occur, you should seek medical examination as soon as possible.

How to stop talking in your sleep?

Sleep talking is usually harmless, but 10% of sleep talking is swearing and swearing, which may make the listener uncomfortable. Sleep talking has also been linked to sleep disturbances and light sleep. If you want people to stop talking in your sleep, experts suggest that you can “nudge” them, and mild disturbance can make people stop talking in your sleep.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Sleep Research showed that sleep deprivation increases disturbances in slow-wave sleep, non-REM sleep, leading to sleep talking and sleepwalking. Experts remind that having a good sleep quality can reduce sleep talking and sleepwalking. In other words, if you worry about disturbing sleep talk and let your partner go to bed first and you go to bed later, it will actually make the sleep talk more serious.

Original source:What is sleep talking? We look at the science

Authorized reprint by “Health Medical Network” / Reported by reporter Zheng Yifen