Why do I talk in my sleep? A sleep psychologist explains
It might seem like a weird thing to do, but more than two-thirds of people have talked in their sleep at some point.
Sleep is an essential part of life, and many people experience various aspects of it, such as dreaming, sleepwalking, and talking in their sleep. Talking during sleep, also known as sleeptalking, is more common in children than adults and usually harmless, only becoming a concern when it interferes with sleep quality or causes problems.
It typically occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, which is when most dreams happen and accounts for about a quarter of sleep time. Sleep architecture, or the stages of sleep, consists of non-REM (75-80%) and REM (25%) sleep, with non-REM taking up the majority of our nightly slumber. Sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, growth in children, and immune system function.
While sleeptalking is not always clear words, researchers suggest that the brain's language and speech areas are active during sleep, leading to mumbles, laughs, or whispers. People are more likely to respond to spoken questions or statements during sleeptalking, but there is no scientific evidence that it allows them to reveal secrets or share undisclosed information.
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- Why do I talk in my sleep? A sleep psychologist explains medicalxpress.com
