A person's snoring can cause serious discomfort to those around him, but it is even more unpleasant when a person conducts “monologues” throughout the night. This can make you feel creepy, not to mention that it can be difficult to fall asleep while listening to loud conversations. Most often, the words spoken are incoherent, but sometimes the conversation in a dream is structured speech. The person who is talking does not know anything about this. Many people who have experienced this with their loved ones or who themselves talk in their sleep have several questions – how dangerous is this, is it associated with any disease, and how to get rid of this phenomenon?
From 1 to 5% of the world's population talk in their sleep. Photo source: hronos-center.ru
Talking in your sleep – why does it happen
Sleep talk, which is also known as “somniloquy,” is a fairly common phenomenon. Between 1 and 5% of the world's population encounter it. It is a type of parasomnic disorder, that is, a disorder in which a person performs certain actions or makes sounds in his sleep. The reason for it is not fully known.
Sleep talking is not necessarily accompanied by a sleep disorder. Therefore, a person who talks in his sleep may feel well-rested and full of energy in the morning. Accordingly, he may not even be aware of such a problem.
The reasons for talking in your sleep can be varied, such as stress and anxiety, as emotional stress leads to increased brain activity during sleep. Sometimes sleep talking can be a consequence of other sleep disorders, such as sleepwalking or nightmares. Some people may have a hereditary tendency to sleep talk.
People often talk in their sleep due to stress. Photo source: hronos-center.ru
People who abuse alcohol or use drugs also experience sleep-speaking. These substances affect the quality of sleep and make it restless. In addition, a more active brain state during sleep is usually observed with elevated temperatures or taking certain medications. It is important to note that sleep talking is usually harmless and does not require treatment if it does not interfere with the quality of sleep of the person or his partner.
What happens to the brain during sleep
For a long time, the reason for talking in a dream remained a mystery to science. It was believed that the subconscious was to blame for everything, revealing the most intimate secrets, which even the person talking in his sleep is not always aware of. However, over time, it was possible to find out more precisely what exactly was happening at this moment.
The brain paralyzes the muscles and vocal cords during sleep. Photo source: pikabu.ru
When a person sleeps, the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) of the reticular activating system (RAS) is responsible for the functioning of the body. They literally “take over control” of the body when a person falls asleep. It is at this moment that people sometimes feel their body twitching. After the “changing of the guard,” a person goes through four stages of sleep while sleeping, including the REM stage, or rapid eye movement sleep.
During this stage, we dream and often remember them. But to prevent our movements in sleep from being accompanied by movements in real life, the brain releases two chemicals into the body: glycine and GABA. They paralyze the body, including the vocal cords, mouth, body muscles, etc. The eyes remain not paralyzed, so this phase is also called the rapid eye movement (REM) stage.
Most often, people talk in their sleep during rapid eye movement. Photo source: spokoiniison.ru
Therefore, when we run or, for example, scream in a dream, our body remains motionless and we do not make any sounds. However, during the REM phase, scientists believe that people sometimes avoid the effects of glycine and GABA. Since the vocal cords remain not paralyzed, a person can make certain sounds or even speak.
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But there is another hypothesis, according to which, for some reason, talking in a dream occurs due to temporary excitation of the brain. This usually occurs at the moment of “switching” between different stages of sleep. But, in any case, talking in a dream does not indicate any disease, and does not pose a threat to other people. In addition, talking in a dream does not say anything about the psychological characteristics of a person. That is, they do not make sense, so studying them does not provide any information about the individual.
To get rid of sleep deprivation, you need to eliminate all of the above factors that provoke it. First of all, this concerns stress, excessive alcohol consumption, as well as excessive overwork and lack of sleep. If the problem cannot be solved, you should seek medical help.