Four Ideas to Help You Stop Sleep Talking

Somniloquy is a strange word, but believe it or not we all do it. It means sleep talking, and can be a mild to serious issue for those of us who murmur while dreaming. Sleep talking is actually very common, and is rarely considered a serious problem. Anyone from children to the elderly can speak in their sleep, and the sounds we make may be intelligible or highly involved. In addition, it's difficult to know if you're talking in your sleep. Often, people only find out that they've been sleep talking after a loved one mentions it the next day. Not much is known about what causes sleep talking, but doctors do know that medicine, illness, stress, and even substance abuse can cause its symptoms to arise. In addition, people with REM sleep behavior disorder, or a condition called sleep terrors, may talk out loud in response to their dreams.

So what can you do to deal with sleep talking? First of all, identify what type of sleep talking you're doing. Ask a friend, spouse, sibling, or parent to listen to or record you. By figuring out what is going on, you're able to move onto the next step: seeing your doctor.

Now that you've taken the time to figure out what's happening in your sleep, seeing your doctor is the logical next step. Explain what's been happening and ask for advice. Your doctor might refer you to a sleep specialist, who can offer some great tips. While sleep talking is not often serious, and is therefore not often treated, a sleep specialist can test you for other sleep disorders. These may even be causing your sleep talking. After consulting the medical field, you may want to try reducing your stress levels. You can do this through exercise, meditation, therapy, journaling or avoiding caffeine. In addition, keeping a sleep journal is a great way to track your symptoms. Keep track of when you wake up, when you hit the sack, and, if at all possible, when you fell asleep. The more you know about a problem, the better your chances of solving it.

Lastly, consider changing your sleep environment: Move the bed, change the level of the lighting, play music as you drift away to dreamland. In addition, consider changing your sleep routine by engaging in relaxing and stress-reducing activities before bed. Take a bath instead of a shower, drink warm milk instead of soda, or do yoga instead of watching television. Sometimes changing things up will help trick your body into a state of sleep that excludes sleep talking.

Sources:

Web MD Sleep Disorders
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