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Do you or a loved one talk in your sleep? It’s a common sleep issue for many, experts say.
About 50% of children will talk in their sleep — and typically outgrow it — while only about 5% of adults are nighttime blabbermouths, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. However, about 60% to 65% of adults will experience at least one episode of nighttime speech during their lifetime, the academy said.
Sleep soliloquies can occur at any stage of sleep, not just in rapid eye movement (REM), the stage when dreams occur, experts say. These one-sided conversations are typically harmless and can include mumbled whispers, groans and nonsense words as well as vulgar language and outright yelling.
At that point, a bed partner may cease to view the chatter as amusing and start looking for ways to protect their own sleep, said sleep disorder specialist Dr. Carlos Schenck, a professor and senior staff psychiatrist at the Hennepin County Medical Center at the University of Minnesota.
“There are some things you, the bed partner, can do to save your sleep,” Schenck said. “But first make sure there are no hidden issues that might be causing the problem.”
