Why do they speak in a dream, manifestations of such a disorder, is it possible to get rid of night talkativeness and how to do it. Talking in a dream is a disorder in the work of the brain (those parts of it that are responsible for night rest and speech), when in a sleepy state a person mutters something, swears or even shouts.
Description and mechanism for the development of conversations in a dream
Conversations during sleep (doubtfulness) are not uncommon. Many children between the ages of 3 and 10 babble at night. Quite often, such a scurrying occurs several times a week. In adolescents, nocturnal speech activity is observed during puberty, then subsides. However, in some it persists throughout life. It is believed that up to 5% of adults, and most of them are men, are susceptible to sleep speech.
Everyone, I think, is familiar with such a feature of some of his relatives and friends as a conversation in a dream. Those who served in the army should know this well. When the soldiers are sleeping, one of them is sure to talk: one whispers something, another mutters, the third grunts, and some just smack their lips.
A specific case from army life. The soldier slept very soundly and talked in his sleep. During the two years of his army service, quite spicy stories happened to him on this basis more than once. One winter, guarding the warehouses, he leaned against a pine tree and fell asleep with a submachine gun in his hand. And so he stood, whispering something, until he was replaced. Another time he jumped up sleepy on the rise and, still continuing to talk in his sleep, fell between the bed and the bedside table, severely breaking his face.
There is an opinion that when a person is talking in a dream and he is asked a question on the topic of the conversation, he will respond. The soldier's fellow soldiers decided to test this theory in practice. When he began to mumble sleepy, they began to communicate with him. At first he answered, and then suddenly he sent everyone to "three funny letters." In the morning he was asked about the night incident. The soldier just shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment. Apart from dreaming, no more oddities were noticed behind him. He carried out his service regularly. Conversations during sleep are a type of parasomnia, a behavioral reaction of the body during falling asleep or deep sleepiness. However, doctors do not consider such a situation to be a fatal deviation in the violation of the activity of the central nervous system. Therefore, such "conversational" practice is not considered a serious illness.
Although in this case there may be a disorder in the work of the speech center, located in the left temporal lobe of the brain, and the hypothalamus, which is responsible for normal sleep.
It is not known for certain why people in a sleepy state conduct "confidential" conversations. And how frank they are is also unclear. There is an opinion that the "talker in the night" can betray certain secrets, but not everyone agrees with this.
Usually a night conversation is short, a few minutes at the most, but it can be repeated several times during the night. Such people are not aggressive and do not pose any danger to those nearby, however, they interfere with sleep with their muttering.
Psychologists believe that a person speaks only about what he experienced during the day. If the experience is very strong, for example, the situation was stressful, at night it can pop out on the "tip of the tongue." Another approach is that conversations in a dream provoke hereditary diseases. Sometimes such a talker is a sleepwalker, he gets out of bed, moves his arms and legs, tries to walk.
It's important to know! If a person talks in a dream, this does not mean at all that he is seriously ill. He could have a difficult day at work, after which he does not sleep well.
Reasons for speaking in a dream
The root cause of talking in sleep is dysfunction in the parts of the brain that are responsible for sleep and speech. Such a disorder does not depend on what phase of sleep the night talker is in - fast or slow (deep). The latter, in turn, goes through 4 states: drowsiness (falling asleep), spindle (medium-deep sleep), delta (no dreams) and deep delta sleep (complete loss of consciousness). At almost any of these stages, "speech incontinence" can begin. When, according to the logic of things, the sleeper should be calm, since all processes in the body slow down, for not entirely clear reasons, a failure may occur. A child or an adult suddenly "talks".
Why do children talk in their sleep
The very young in a sleepy state speak because they develop speech. In 50% of boys and girls from 3 to 10 years old, nocturnal talkativeness is associated with instability of the nervous system. The child emotionally experiences everything that happened to him during the day. Let's say he ran a lot, played naughty, swore and fought with friends, he got in trouble at school, got a beating from his parents or witnessed their quarrel.
Not necessarily the child is overwhelmed only with negative emotions, there may be joyful ones. On his birthday he was presented with many gifts, he had a good time, for example, he visited the circus. Going to bed still "uncooled", the baby "splashes out" his daytime experiences by babbling or screaming at night.
In childhood, sleepwalking is often associated with sleepwalking, but this is not yet a sign of illness.
Growing up, many children stop talking during sleep, as their nervous system and psyche becomes more stable.
Why do adults speak in their sleep
Sleep conversations in adults are associated with a disorder of the phases and stages of sleep. Often the cause of this is stress, which is accompanied by restless shallow sleep, when fears often torment. Another factor is hereditary or acquired in the process of life diseases, injuries. Bad habits also provoke nighttime speaking.
Let's consider the reasons for talking in a dream in adults in more detail. These can be:
- Depressive state … Strong emotional experiences associated with personal life or work, for example, a quarrel with family members or colleagues, depress the psyche and nervous system. Sleep is disturbed and becomes superficial, restless. Night fears make you scream and talk.
- Neuroses … Neuropsychiatric disorders are often accompanied by sleep disturbance, which manifests itself in sleep speech.
- Painful condition … For example, pneumonia is accompanied by high fever, delirium, and incoherent mumbling. Enuresis, when waking up frequently to go to the toilet, can also cause nighttime talking.
- Impressionability … Overly emotional natures sleep restlessly and often talk in their sleep. This is due to the fact that the brain cells responsible for sleep are not “turned off”, but are in a waking state. This is often preceded by great psychological and physical stress.
- Brain injuries … Damage from illness or contusion to the cerebral hemispheres, where the centers responsible for sleep and speech are located, can be affected by talking at night.
- Diseases of the central nervous system … When the disease affects not only the brain, but also the spinal cord.
- Bad habits … Late hearty dinner, drinking large quantities of strong tea or coffee "for sleep coming", excessive alcohol consumption, drugs - all this provokes people to talk in a dream.
- Medicines … Antipsychotics or tranquilizers, other medications that, in case of an overdose or in combination with alcohol, can cause a hallucinous state, accompanied by conversations in a dream.
- Insomnia … May be deliberate when sleep deprivation is violent. This ends in a severe mental condition in which nighttime speaking develops. Or when they deliberately restrict rest, for example, they work a lot. Lack of adequate rest can cause speech incontinence in the short-term sleep phase.
- Heavy news … For example, a tragic message about the death of a loved one. Watching horror movies also provokes nightmares and conversations in some.
- Aggression … When a person is in an agitated, angry state and does not calm down, at night it can break through with a scream.
- Severe mental illness … Often, mentally ill people behave inappropriately, in the middle of the night they can sit up in bed and talk.
- Bad heredity … More often transmitted through the male line. If parents talked in a dream, this can most likely be passed on to children.
It's important to know! In most cases, adult conversations at night are not a sign of illness. Rather, it is due to nervous strain.
The main symptoms of people talking in a dream
The main external sign of people's conversations in a dream is night speech. Regardless of age and gender. The person mutters something, although it seems that he is asleep and often lies quietly in bed. But there are times when the sleeper jumps up, screams loudly and waves his arms. This is a legitimate concern of others.
External factors of sufferers of "bedtime speech incontinence" can be as follows:
- Emotional irritability … If a person is constantly in an agitated state, it is highly likely that he is a nocturnal "talker". This is especially true for children.
- Oppression … When the mood is poor and this state continues for a long time, it can arouse sleep-speaking.
- Malice … Angry people often vent their dislike in late-night conversations with an imaginary enemy.
- Gritting teeth … May be an external factor in talkativeness in a sleepy state.
- Sleepwalking … A person who walks in a dream often talks in this state.
- Mental illness … Often it is the external cause of nighttime conversations.
- Alcoholism and drug addiction … People who abuse alcohol and drugs often chat in their sleep.
- Neurotic personality … When a person is dissatisfied with everything, this is a mild mental disorder that can manifest itself in a conversation at night with oneself or an imaginary interlocutor.
It's important to know! People who talk in their sleep often suffer from mild neurosis, which does not need special treatment, but can be corrected on its own.
Ways to deal with conversations in a dream
In most cases, no special treatment is required when talking in a dream. Yes, in fact, it is not. What, then, to do? Nothing, if the nightly "debates" do not cause much trouble to the debater and his loved ones. This needs to be treated in a philosophical calm, they say, in life it can be worse. All the more so, if, having spoken out at night, in the morning a person gets up fresh and vigorous. Although it is not a sin to try to "run away" from your problem.
Independent actions when dealing with conversations in a dream
If nightly conversations alone with oneself cause discomfort after waking up, for example, relatives say reproachfully about this, they say, “it was noisy again at night,” you can try to get rid of them using such a simple technique as keeping a diary.
In it, you need to scrupulously record everything regarding sleep: what you ate and drank at night, how you slept, what dreams were, woke up (s) rested or not. It is imperative to note the impressions of the past day - they left a good or bad aftertaste in the soul. After analyzing your notes for the month, you need to understand what you should give up so that you feel good after waking up in the morning.
Will the "diary method" work or not? They will surely notice that nocturnal idle talk has become infrequent or has completely stopped.
Some useful tips for those who want to get rid of sleep conversations on their own:
- Take care of your nerves! They will still be useful in life. Try to take troubles calmly. Someone may be much worse than you.
- Don't stay up late watching TV. Before going to bed, it's best to take a walk in the fresh air.
- The bedroom must be ventilated. It is good if it has a pleasant smell, for example, of your favorite flowers.
- No serious business late at night! It will only excite and bring restless sleep. The best evening unloading exercise is sex. This is a guarantee of a sound and deep sleep. But we should not forget that everything needs a measure. What is in excess is already too much!
If your child is a "night grumbler", do not tell him scary tales at night and do not allow him to watch "demonic" films. Give him positive and calm information before bed. It should be remembered that children's nocturnal talkativeness in the overwhelming majority of cases passes without a trace for health.
It's important to know! It is necessary to be tolerant of a person suffering from “bed-wetting of the tongue”. He should not be scolded, he needs to be helped to get rid of his problem.
Medication for sleep talk
Severe cases of sleep-speaking require medical attention. This is primarily due to hereditary factors. For example, parents in the family talked at night, the child has also become a “nightingale of the night” and cannot get rid of his “singing” on his own.
Factors when you need to see a specialist about the treatment of sleep conversations may be:
- Feeling unwell. Feeling tired and weak in the morning after getting up, sleepy during the day.
- Nighttime conversations get in the way of others. When you constantly hear reproaches and even swearing.
- Long and frequent sleep talk. Lasts a long time, repeats several times a night and a week. It can be aggressive - with shouts and swearing, because fears torment in a dream.
- Sleepwalking. Sleepy talks and walks in the bedroom in a dream, maybe even go outside.
- Dream conversations began in adulthood. This is evidence that a serious pathology has appeared, the cause of which must be established by the doctor after a comprehensive medical examination.
In all such episodes of conversations in a dream, medical attention should be provided. It consists in prescribing special medications and undergoing a course of psychotherapy.
Treatment can be outpatient or, in a particularly severe case, in a hospital. Based on the history, the doctor will prescribe a course of treatment, which is usually offered to patients with psychosis. It consists of psychotropic drugs - neuroleptics, tranquilizers, antidepressants, as well as psychotherapy sessions.
Cognitive cognitive therapy (CBT) and gestalt therapy can provide significant psychotherapeutic assistance. Sometimes there can be hypnosis. All of these techniques are aimed at overcoming the root causes that force a person to have nighttime conversations.
Having understood the causes of the disease, the patient, with the help of a psychotherapist, as a result of various techniques, for example, in communication with the same as himself, tries to change his attitude to the problem in order to overcome it. Of course, he will succeed only if he is very interested in it. And then the necessary effect will certainly be, but how long is the question. After all, the mechanism of speaking in a dream is not fully understood.
How to get rid of conversations in a dream - watch the video:
Doctors do not consider conversations in a dream to be a serious illness. In children and adolescents, they are frequent, but with growing up, as a rule, they go away without harm to health. One in four adults speaks at night in bed. When such "intimate conversations" do not cause inconvenience to anyone, this is the norm. If they create certain difficulties, you can try to "bite your tongue" yourself. However, there are cases of pathology when medical attention is needed. Only treatment can show whether it will be effective. You have to hope for it. Hope, as you know, always dies last.
