Somniloquy

Somniloquy is a medical term for sleep talking. Somniloquy occurs when you talk out-loud during sleep. A listener may or may not be able to understand what you are saying. Somniloquy or sleep talking is not particularly dangerous, but it can keep your partner up at night. The good news is that for most people it is a rare and short-lived occurrence. Sleep talking is very common.
Studies ¹ have found that up to 66% of people have experienced episodes of sleep talking, making it one of the most common parasomnias. That said, it does not occur frequently, with just 17% of people reporting sleep talking episodes in the last three months. Even regular sleep talkers may have to be recorded for four nights or more to document an episode. Anyone can experience somniloquy, but the condition is more common in males and children. It is reported in 50% of young children. Most children grow out of the habit; only an estimated 5% of adults talk in their sleep. It occurs at the same rate in both men and women.

Sleep-talkers are not typically aware of their behaviors or speech; therefore their voices and the type of language they use may sound different from their wakeful speech. Somniloquy usually goes untreated but there may be an underlying medical explanation for your sleep talking. There are many reasons why some people talk during sleep – sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol consumption and daytime sleepiness are just some reasons behind this activity. If you are concerned about somniloquy, talk to your doctor.

Somniloquy or sleep talking is considered to be distinct from other vocalizations that can occur during sleep such as catathrenia (nocturnal groaning) ², a breathing disorder that causes audible groaning, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which involves a person physically acting out their dreams.

Research has helped clarify the symptoms and consequences of sleep talking, but there is much that remains unknown about the causes and treatment of this condition. Some factors, including sleep deprivation, alcohol, drugs, fever, stress, anxiety, and depression can all lead to sleep talking.

Typically, sleep talking is not considered something that requires treatment, unless a sleep mate is chronically disturbed by it. It may co-exist with other “parasomnias” such as night terrors, sleepwalking, and sleep apnea. While not common, sleep talking that starts after age 25 may be related to other medical issues. If it is associated with a more serious disorder, such as sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, or night terrors, then you may need to treat the disorder.

Consider seeing a sleep specialist if you feel that your sleep talking is getting out of control or hard to deal with (involving intense fear, screaming, or violent actions)—in rare instances, medication can be subscribed to treat the condition. Your doctor may recommend trying to follow a regular sleep schedule, getting the right amount of sleep (typically, seven to nine hours a night), and/or practicing proper sleep hygiene to help reduce or eliminate sleep talking.

Is somniloquy dangerous?

In the majority of cases, somniloquy is harmless. It doesn’t usually have a major effect on the person’s sleep, and it normally doesn’t occur frequently enough to cause any serious problems.

However, there are some situations in which sleep talking can cause problems:

• If sleep talking bothers a bed partner or roommate, it may interrupt their sleep and contribute to problems like insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness.
• If the content of sleep talking is embarrassing, it may create awkwardness or stress between the person talking in their sleep and their bed partner.
• If sleep talking occurs alongside other parasomnias, such as nightmare disorder or sleepwalking, it may be connected to bigger sleeping difficulties that can cause fragmented or insufficient sleep.

How can bed partners of sleep talkers get better sleep?

It’s often bed partners or roommates of people who talk in their sleep who bear the brunt of the negative consequences of somniloquy. They may find themselves awoken unexpectedly in the night by somniloquy or be bothered or offended by its content.

If somniloquy is creating these problems on a regular basis, a focus on sleep hygiene may help their bed partner decrease the frequency of somniloquy episodes. In addition, other steps may help cut down on the disturbance from a bed partner’s sleep talking:

• Wearing ear plugs or headphones to block out the sleep talking.
• Using a white noise machine or a fan to create a soothing and stable background noise that drowns out most somniloquy.
• If necessary, sleeping in different rooms can keep the noise of somniloquy from causing nighttime interruptions.

If there are any other sleep disturbances or excessive daytime sleepiness along with somniloquy, sleep apnea should be considered. Consultation with a sleep doctor can help you to evaluate this.

Somniloquy causes

Experts aren’t sure exactly why people talk in their sleep. Somniloquy or sleep talking is a type of parasomnia. Parasomnias are abnormal behaviors during sleep. Unlike most parasomnias that happen only during specific parts of the sleep cycle, somniloquy can occur during either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM (NREM) sleep. It is still unknown if the talking is closely linked to dreaming.

There is evidence that somniloquy may have a genetic component with some studies finding that sleep talking can run in families ³.

In studies of twins, sleep talking was found to co-occur more frequently with sleepwalking, teeth grinding, and nightmares in both children and adults, and these all may share some genetic relationship. Further research is needed to better understand these potential connections.

Sleep talking appears to occur more often in people with mental health conditions ⁴. In particular, it is believed to occur most frequently in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Overall, though, most cases of sleep talking are not thought to be connected to mental illness.

Somniloquy symptoms

The central symptom of somniloquy (sleep talking) is audible expression that occurs during sleep without the person being aware of it happening. Somniloquy (sleep talking) can involve complicated dialogues or monologues, complete gibberish or mumbling. While some people would find these ramblings funny, embarrassing or a barrier to enjoying a good night’s sleep. The subject matter being talked about tends to be harmless. It may also make no sense at all. At other times, the content may be vulgar or offensive to a listener. The talking can occur many times and might be quite loud. This can disrupt the sleep of a bed partner or roommate.

A linguistic study of somniloquy found that around half of recorded sleep talking was incomprehensible ⁵. In these cases, sleep talking was normally mumbling, silent speech (moving the lips with limited noise), or was muffled by pillows or blankets.

The other half of sleep talking that was comprehensible had a number of parallels to typical conversations. For example, it usually followed typical standards of grammar and included pauses as if talking with another person.

Many of the recorded utterances were negative, exclamatory, or profane, indicating that sleep talking may reflect conflict-driven dialogue taking place in the brain during sleep. Sleep talking that is offensive, sexually explicit, or reveals secrets may cause embarrassment or shame; however, people are very rarely aware that they are talking in their sleep at the time and typically have no recollection of the episodes when they wake up.

Episodes of sleep talking tend to be short, and they rarely involve long or drawn-out conversations. The total episode may involve only a handful of words or a few sentences.

Research is mixed about the source of the content during episodes of sleep talking. Speech may not have any clear connection to a person’s life, recent events, or prior conversations. Some evidence indicates that it may at times be related to dreams ⁶., but not all sleep talking appears to be closely tied to dream activity.

Somniloquy treatment

Because the cause of somniloquy is not fully understood, there is limited knowledge about proven methods to stop somniloquy. In most situations, treatment for sleep talking is unnecessary because of its limited frequency and minimal negative consequences.

For people who want to try to limit or eliminate sleep talking episodes, focusing on sleep hygiene may be a helpful starting point. Most parasomnias are thought to be an abnormal state that blends wakefulness and sleep, and this state may be more likely to arise when normal sleep patterns are disturbed. For that reason, steps that promote consistent and stable sleep may help ward off parasomnias, including somniloquy.

Sleep hygiene includes a person’s sleep environment and their habits that can affect sleep. Improving sleep hygiene can eliminate potential causes of sleep interruptions and create routines that are conducive to higher-quality sleep.

While healthy sleep tips can be adapted to fit an individual’s situation, some of the key ways to enhance sleep hygiene include:

• Keeping a consistent sleep schedule every day, including on weekends.
• Avoiding caffeine or other stimulants late in the afternoon and evening.
• Giving yourself time to wind down and relax, including by dimming lights and putting away electronic devices for at least a half-hour before bedtime.
• Getting regular exposure to daylight and finding time for physical activity during the day.
• Creating a distraction-free sleep space that has limited light or sound pollution.
• Setting up a cozy sleep surface with a quality mattress, pillows, and bedding that help you feel comfortable and supported.

People who are bothered by ongoing sleep talking, suffer from other sleeping problems, and/or have excessive drowsiness during the day should talk with their doctor who can help get to the bottom of those issues and recommend the most appropriate treatment.

References

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3. Hublin C, Kaprio J, Partinen M, Koskenvu M. Parasomnias: co-occurrence and genetics. Psychiatr Genet. 2001;11(2):65-70. doi:10.1097/00041444-200106000-00002
4. Hublin C, Kaprio J, Partinen M, Koskenvuo M. Sleeptalking in twins: epidemiology and psychiatric comorbidity. Behav Genet. 1998;28(4):289-298. doi:10.1023/a:1021623430813
5. 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
6. Nielsen T, Svob C, Kuiken D. Dream-enacting behaviors in a normal population. Sleep. 2009;32(12):1629-1636. doi:10.1093/sleep/32.12.1629