How to Stop Sleep Talking: 10 Effective Ways
Written by Nectarsleep editorial team
Fact checked
Last Updated on Aug 22, 2022
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Sleep talking is considered parasomnia or abnormal behavior while sleeping. It is not considered a medical issue as it is generally harmless.
It is most common in children and can also be seen in adults. Experts believe it is a temporary condition hardly requiring any treatment, and later resolves on its own. It becomes an issue only if it interferes with your partner’s sleep sharing your bed.
Sleep talking generally stems from stress. Is sleep talking bad? This medical problem is often harmless but can be a nuisance to the partner sharing the bed or room. Here, we share some tips and tricks to get your sleep hygiene right and learn how to stop sleep talking. Read on!
1. Keep a Sleep Diary
Maintaining a sleep diary gives you clarity on your sleep patterns and schedule. It helps doctors diagnose better and identify your sleep patterns and triggers. In addition, the data proves vital in helping you how to not talk in your sleep.
You must write in your sleep diary for a minimum of two weeks to gain valuable insights. In the log, you should write the time of going to bed and waking up, medications you took, the day’s exercise, your stress triggers, etc.
2. Get Enough Sleep Daily
Ensuring zero sleep deprivation is one of the best ways of how to stop sleep talking naturally. Experts recommend seven to nine hours of sleep per night for every adult.
The best way to get adequate sleep is to hit the bed at a fixed time and wake up the same way, even on holidays. If not fixed, you can start slowly and do a gradual 15-minute increment until you attain your bedtime goal.
If rising at the right time is an issue, you should expose yourself to sunlight immediately after waking up. It helps reset your cardiac rhythm and makes sleeping and waking up easier.
3. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine is a strong stimulant that helps keep you alert and awake. Hence, it is counterproductive to stop sleep talking. Likewise, alcohol also interrupts deep sleep, and you often wake up at night.
Consequently, you are tired, drowsy, and sleep-deprived the next day. You would also tend to speak more during sleep. Hence, you should not consume coffee after 2 PM and avoid alcohol as far as possible for more restful sleep.
4. Avoid Prolonged Stress
Stress is one of the major deterrents to how to prevent sleep talking. Minor and daily stresses are part and parcel of life, but you must never allow prolonged stress. It is the mother of many diseases, including insomnia, diabetes, heart diseases, etc.
To deal with stress, you can practice deep breathing, meditation, proper time management, journaling before bed, etc. However, seeking psychiatric counseling is strongly recommended if you can still not combat it.
5. Follow a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is one of the best sleep talking treatments. Heavy meals and those laden with refined carbs like cakes, sweets, sodas, etc., spike your blood sugar and can cause digestive problems. It triggers insomnia and sleep deprivation.
Switching to light and healthy meals loaded with proteins, healthy fats, and greens will keep your body healthy and promote restful sleep. You should also go for light meals before bed to feel more relaxed.
6. Essential Oils
Essential oils are integral to aromatherapy and are known to relax and unwind. They can effortlessly change the mood of your bedroom to a soothing and sleep-inducing one. Relaxing and pleasing fragrances like lavender oil, citrus oil, etc., can induce you to stop talking in sleep.
7. Weighted Blankets
Heavier than regular blankets, weighted blankets can induce a sensation of a warm hug and make you feel more comfortable, relaxed, and peaceful. It can reduce your anxiety, stress, depression, and other sleep talking causes to help you sleep better.
8. Magnesium Supplements
Magnesium supplements are known to destress and relax your muscles and your mind, which helps you to sleep better and help you stop talking in sleep. However, we strongly recommend you get a nod from your doctor before consuming the supplement.
9. White Noise
White noise is a sleep-inducing sound comprising all the frequencies available across the spectrum of audible sound at leveled measures. Some examples of white noise include heavy rain, waterfalls, television, or radio static. According to a 2021 study, white noise has significantly improved the sleep quality of people.
10. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
Getting completely relaxed and comfortable is the key to a deep-restful sleep without sleep-talking. For it, a healthy and soothing bedtime ritual and accessories are a must. A few tips to follow are:
- Make your room disturbance free. For example, your bedroom should not have bright light, loud music, or electronic devices like television, mobile, etc. Using blackout curtains, earplugs, etc., will help enhance the sleep environment.
- Your bedtime routine should be such that it relaxes and lulls you to deep sleep. Your clothes should be comfortable, and you can try reading a book or listening to soothing music to fall asleep. Practicing yoga or meditation before bed also helps you fall asleep.
- You should not exercise too late in the evenings, but a minimum of three hours before sleep. Exercise releases adrenaline that disrupts your sleep. You can instead switch to walking, light aerobic and breathing exercises to induce sleep.
- Your mattress and pillow should be completely comfortable and body contouring for you so that your spine remains neutral and you do not face any discomfort to disrupt your sleep.
- Finally, your room and mattress should remain cool, so you do not wake up due to overheating.
What Causes Sleep Talking?
Researchers are yet to pinpoint the exact cause of sleep talking. However, they believe that any of the following reasons can trigger sleep-talking in a person.
- Sleep talking can be partially attributed to genetics.
- Problems like depression, mental illness, stress, fever, drugs, alcohol, etc., can trigger sleep talking.
- Sleep talking can manifest as a side effect of physical and mental illness, especially in young adults over 25.
- Sleep talking can also occur due to dreaming and nighttime reveries.
- Certain medications and drug abuse can also trigger sleep talking.
- Sleep talking is also common in patients suffering from sleep disorders like REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, nightmares, etc.
When To Speak to Your Doctor?
Generally, sleep talking does not require any treatment. It vanishes on its own.
But you might need to consult a doctor if sleep talking has converted to screaming, loud crying, and similar strange behavior. It is because sleep talking, in such cases, is often a symptom of mental trauma and sleep disorders like REM Behavior Disorder (RBD), nightmares, and even anxiety disorders.
The symptoms would disappear once the disease and disorder are diagnosed and treated. It is done by conducting a sleep study or polysomnography.
Conclusion
Sleep talking is still not fully understood but is a harmless phenomenon. It takes a serious turn only when it manifests as a symptom of a serious sleep disorder or mental illness. However, in its pure form, it is not a cause of concern and can be easily tackled with good sleep hygiene, a healthy lifestyle, and the most comfortable mattress and accessories with a sleep-inducing bedroom environment
