Hearing that you’ve been mumbling out loud while you dream might lead you to try to figure out how to stop sleep talking. We consulted with medical experts and sleep specialists and turned to the newest research to find answers. We’ve also got some useful product recommendations to keep you dreaming quietly, including our favorite Loftie alarm clock.
Learning how to stop sleep talking can improve your sleep—and that of your partner.
Sleep talking—also known as “somniloquy”—is a common sleep disorder: Research finds that more than 66% of adults report talking in their sleep. If you’re among the 6% of adults who talk in their sleep at least once a week, it’s understandable to want to shut down those late-night speaking sessions. Still, doctors stress that being a sleep talker isn’t a reason to panic. “Sleep talking can be totally normal and does not necessarily indicate a problem with sleep or health,” says Jade Wu, PhD, board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications.
If talking at night is disturbing you or a partner, though, this isn’t an issue you want to sleep on. Sleep medicine specialists break down what could be behind your sleep talking, plus possible solutions—for you and those snoozing near you.
Causes Of Sleep Talking
While you can sleep talk in any phase of sleep, “Sleep talking usually arises in deep sleep,” says W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast.
According to Wu, there a few common causes for sleep talking are:
- Sleep deprivation
- Stress
- Sleep disruption
- Alcohol
- Some medications, including anticholinergics, sedatives and hypnotic drugs
Even genetics may be a factor. “Some people are born more prone to sleep talking,” Wu says. Winter agrees: “Sleep talking is very hereditary.
Sleep Talking Symptoms
Sleep talking can look different for everyone, although Wu says much of this depends on the stage of sleep someone is in. “The more coherent, grammatically correct, multi-sentence occurrences are more likely to happen during REM sleep, which is when dreaming typically happens,” she explains. “The sleep talking may reflect the content of the dream, or might not.” This form of sleep talking can be confusing to people around you, who might not be sure if you’re awake or asleep. “Some people are very articulate when they sleep talk,” says U.S. Army neuroscientist and sleep expert Major Allison Brager, PhD, author of Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain.
But less coherent sleep talking is more probable during non-REM sleep, according to Wu. It can also happen alongside things like coughing, throat clearing, grunting and other vocal sounds. “These are the episodes that people are least likely to remember anything about,” Wu says.
Sleep talking is “sometimes considered part of a larger group of sleep utterances, which can include laughing, mumbling, groaning and whistling,” says Lawrence Chan, DO, a sleep medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
When someone talks in their sleep, they’re usually not aware of it and don’t remember it when they wake up, Winter says.
How To Stop Sleep Talking
Chan points out that “there are no approved medical treatments for somniloquy.” However, doctors say there are a few things you can try that may help.
Lifestyle Changes
Doctors stress that this is vital. “Get enough sleep on a regular schedule, reduce stress and the use of alcohol and other recreational substances—at least in the hour or so leading up to bedtime,” Wu says. Brager also recommends creating a “very strict bedtime routine” where you put away your phone before bed, keep your room cool and dark with comfortable bedding and make a point to go to bed and wake up at the same time.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy
Using a CPAP machine doesn’t help all people with sleep talking. However, it can help stop or limit sleep talking in people who have sleep apnea, given that sleep talking can be tied to sleep disturbances, Chan says.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia (CBT-I)
CBT-I is a form of talk therapy that’s specifically designed to treat insomnia. It targets issues around falling asleep and staying asleep and it usually done over six to eight sessions. Treating the insomnia may help with sleep talking, Chan says.
Tips For Sleeping With A Sleep Talker
There are a few things you can do if you sleep next to a sleep talker. Chan recommends doing your best to drown them out. “You could consider background white, pink or brown noise to decrease the disruption from sleep talking,” he says.
Wu’s advice is simple: “Wear ear plugs.”
If you’re still struggling with a vocal sleeping partner, Brager recommends relocating to another room at night. “It may take something like that for them to realize, ‘Maybe I should fix my problem,’” she says.
When To Talk To A Doctor About Sleep Talking
Sleep talking in and of itself isn’t usually a bad thing. “It’s not necessarily a problem, and the things you say in your sleep don’t necessarily indicate anything ‘real,’ such as your ‘real’ desires or fears,” Wu says. But, in some situations, sleep talking can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
“If it’s happening along with other sleep symptoms—violent moving during sleep, insomnia, stopping breathing—then those symptoms need to be assessed by a sleep doctor to determine what sleep disorders you may have,” Wu says.
If you’re a chronic sleep talker, the habit can also be harmful to your sleep quality—and that of your partner, Brager says. Ultimately, if you’re sleep talking a lot, it’s a good idea to talk to a sleep medicine specialist to see what could be behind this. “It can both help minimize the sleep talking and possibly identify other sleep problems,” Winter says.
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- To learn more about sleep talking, we consulted with four sleep medicine specialists: Jade Wu, PhD, board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications; W. Christopher Winter, M.D., a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast; U.S. Army neuroscientist and sleep expert Major Allison Brager, PhD, author of Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain and Lawrence Chan, DO, a sleep medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Is There A Way To Stop Sleep Talking?
Occasional sleep talking isn’t something to worry about—and it’s very common. But, if you’re a regular sleep talker, revisiting things like your stress levels, sleep disruptions, alcohol use and medications may be helpful, Brager says. She also recommends having a consistent sleep routine. If that doesn’t help, consider seeing a sleep specialist to be evaluated for an underlying sleep condition.
What Causes You To Talk In Your Sleep?
Stopping a sleep talking habit ultimately comes down to figuring out the root cause of the issue. There is a range of factors that can lead to sleep talking, but stress, not getting enough sleep, having disrupted sleep and alcohol use can all play a role. Certain medications may also be a factor in sleep talking. If you come from a family of sleep talkers, there’s a higher likelihood of talking in your sleep, too.
Does Sleep Talking Go Away?
Sleep talking can go away with time, especially in younger people. “In the majority of cases in young people, it resolves spontaneously without treatment,” Winter says. Sleep talking can be more complicated in adults, and a lot of whether this goes away depends on the cause of the issue. “People who continue to sleep talk in adulthood might find it spontaneously stopping or going away after changing their medications,” Wu says.
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