Does Your Partner Talk At Night While Sleeping?

Surely you’ve ever seen a movie in which someone discovers an infidelity or something similar when their partner talks in their sleep. This is a real sleep disorder called somnilochia. However, if your partner talks at night, don’t expect to discover a big secret, as that rarely happens.

Talking in sleep is a fairly common situation in children. Generally, it becomes less frequent or even disappears with age. Although its name means “to speak in dreams”, it really is not like that.

Sleepiness occurs, most of the time, in the deep sleep phase, in which we do not dream. In addition, the person who speaks in sleep does not remember having done it and most of the time says things that are difficult to understand; they can be just babbling or disjointed words.

Other times, instead, complete sentences can be expressed, but totally out of context. Therefore, if your partner speaks at night and seems to say something compromising, there is little that can serve as serious evidence against him.

What could be causing your partner to talk at night?

Talking during sleep is generally safe. Even so, it is always a good idea to investigate the causes of sleepiness. One of them is the same genetics; if other family members are talking in their sleep, there is no need to worry.

On the other hand, and according to the Sleep Foundation, episodes of drowsiness can be triggered by stress, anxiety and depression. If so, it is advisable to seek therapeutic advice to attack the root of the problem and avoid greater evils.

Some medications, alcohol or a fever can also generate these nightly monologues. In these cases, it is enough that the cause disappears for the conversations to cease.

The same can happen when having a very hectic day. This can cause the person to talk in their sleep, as well as, paradoxically, not getting enough sleep, having nightmares, or suffering from sleep apnea. For all this, it is very important to adopt good habits.

In very rare cases, somniloquia has to do with mental problems or serious sleep disturbances.  However, if it appears suddenly after the age of 25, it may indicate an underlying problem and a visit to the specialist will be necessary.

What to do if your partner talks at night?

The severity of the sleepiness is what will determine if action is necessary. We could classify this problem into three types:

• If sleep talk occurs less than once a week, it can be classified as mild.
• It will be moderate if it occurs more than once a week, but not every night, and causes some discomfort in the couple.
• If it occurs every night and interrupts the couple’s sleep, it is a severe case of sleepiness.

If your partner talks at night and it has already become an uncomfortable problem, it may be time to act. How to do it? At first, waking him up suddenly doesn’t seem like the best choice.

Some advices

If you find yourself facing this problem at night, consider the following suggestions to find a good rest:

• Not getting enough sleep can cause drowsiness. So establishing good sleep habits and respecting sleep hours may improve the situation.

• Taking a warm bath and listening to music can induce a more peaceful sleep without unexpected conversations.
• Preparing a comfortable environment with the right temperature is also important for a smooth sleep.
• Avoiding alcohol before going to bed is a good decision. This substance contains exciting substances that affect people’s sleep.
• Taking a relaxing natural infusion that induces sleep is advisable. Lavender, according to this study by the Shefa Neuroscience Research Center (Iran), is a good relaxant.
• It is advisable to allow at least three hours after dinner before going to bed.
• Sweets and caffeine should be avoided, especially for children.

On the other hand, some people are affected by watching television before sleeping, as the production of melatonin is altered. Taking the television out of the room can be one measure that helps solve the problem.

If the situation does not improve and becomes chronic, a visit to a sleep specialist or psychologist will be recommended. If your partner talks at night and that has really affected the quality of your sleep, other actions may be necessary, such as wearing earplugs, a white noise generator, or sleeping in another room.