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Somniloquy, commonly known as sleep talking, is a parasomnia (sleep disorder) that causes you to talk in your sleep. It can range from simple gibberish or mumbling to long and loud speeches, and it usually happens during the non-rapid eye movement stages (NREM) of sleep.

The causes of sleep talking can include:

1. Emotional stress
   
   
2. Anxiety
   
   
3. Certain medications
   
   
4. Lack of sleep
   
   
5. fever

While sleep talking is not a serious condition and is mostly considered harmless by doctors, it can pose certain problems. It might wake you up in the middle of the night, and it can also disrupt the sleep of your partner in case they can’t tolerate the noise.

Unfortunately, there are no known cures for sleep talking, but there are certain things you can do to try and prevent it such as:

• Ascertain that it isn’t another parasomnia.

You need to check with a sleep doctor to ensure that what you’re dealing with is really just sleep talking, because you might have another more serious parasomnia.

Sleep talking can be mistaken for other sleep disorders like:

1. Night terrors (sleep terrors)
   
   Night terrors are similar to nightmares, except they are more extreme. It’s like having a panic attack while you’re asleep, and it may lead to rapid heart rate, heavy sweating, screaming, and thrashing around while in bed.
   
   
2. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder
   
   This is a parasomnia in which you act out your dreams. It may involve kicking, punching, and screaming while you’re asleep, and it occurs during the REM stage of sleep (stage 4). Interested in learning more about different stages of sleep? Here is an article on understanding the different stages of our natural sleep cycles.
   
   
3. Catathrenia
   
   Also called nocturnal groaning, catathrenia is a sleep disorder that makes you emit loud groans. Like REM sleep behavior disorder, catathrenia also happens in sleep stage 4.

Determine whether your sleep talking is not another sleep disorder so that you’ll know what to do next.

• Reduce your stress

Stress is the most common reason why you sleep talk. This is why you should do your best to stop worrying about things before bedtime. Free your mind of any anxieties you have during the day so that they don’t carry over to your sleep. If you’re thinking about your presentation at work the next day, then don’t. It can wait until morning.  

• Actively try to feel more at ease before going to bed.

Before you doze off into sleep, try to do something that relaxes you. You can take a warm bath to loosen up tired muscles, or do some meditation to calm your mind. You can also listen to soothing instrumental music or read a good book—the number of things you can do are practically limitless.

• Work out.
  
  

Did you know that the benefits of exercise extend far beyond the physical? Working out can do good things not only for your body, but your mind as well. When you engage in strenuous physical activity, your brain releases endorphins that reduce stress, act as natural pain relievers, and most of all, enhance the quality of your sleep.

• Create an atmosphere suited for sleep.
  
  

If you know what to do, setting up the best environment for sleep is not difficult. Start by making sure the temperature in your bedroom is neither too hot nor too cold. The ideal temperature for sleep is around 18.5°C (65°F). For added warmth and comfort, you can also use products such as electric underblankets and electric heating pads. Just buy high-quality ones so that you don’t have to worry about your safety while sleeping.

• Observe healthy sleeping habits.
  
  

Here are some steps you can take to improve your sleep and prevent sleep talking.

1. Avoid caffeine intake at least six hours before your bedtime.
   
   
2. Avoid napping too long during the day.
   
   
3. Don’t drink alcohol at night.
   
   
4. Don’t consume sugary snacks before sleeping.

When you’ve made a habit of these practices, sleep talking will be a thing of the past.

How to create the perfect sleeping environment?

If you are looking for ways to get a better night of sleep, creating a perfect sleeping environment might be a great solution.

Colors, noise, bed sheet fabrics are just a few elements that can affect your sleep. Eating any kind of food in bed should definitely be avoided. If your bed is messy and have too many things laying all over your bed, that will probably reduce your sleep quality too.

We have compiled all valuable information on the topic of sleeping environment and turned them into a FREE Ebook. It will definitely help you sleep better, click on the link below to download now.