Somniloquy

WikiDoc Resources for Somniloquy
Articles
Most recent articles on Somniloquy Most cited articles on Somniloquy Review articles on Somniloquy Articles on Somniloquy in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Somniloquy Images of Somniloquy Photos of Somniloquy Podcasts & MP3s on Somniloquy Videos on Somniloquy
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Somniloquy Bandolier on Somniloquy TRIP on Somniloquy
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Somniloquy at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Somniloquy Clinical Trials on Somniloquy at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Somniloquy NICE Guidance on Somniloquy NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Somniloquy CDC on Somniloquy
Books
Books on Somniloquy
News
Somniloquy in the news Be alerted to news on Somniloquy News trends on Somniloquy
Commentary
Blogs on Somniloquy
Definitions
Definitions of Somniloquy
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Somniloquy Discussion groups on Somniloquy Patient Handouts on Somniloquy Directions to Hospitals Treating Somniloquy Risk calculators and risk factors for Somniloquy
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Somniloquy Causes & Risk Factors for Somniloquy Diagnostic studies for Somniloquy Treatment of Somniloquy
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Somniloquy
International
Somniloquy en Espanol Somniloquy en Francais
Business
Somniloquy in the Marketplace Patents on Somniloquy
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Somniloquy

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Somniloquy or sleep-talking is a parasomnia that refers to talking aloud in one's sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep. Listeners may or may not be able to understand what the person is saying.

Sleep-talking usually occurs during transitory arousals from REM sleep. It can also occur during NREM sleep at which time it represents a motor breakthrough (see sleep paralysis) of dream speech, words spoken in a dream are spoken out loud.

Sleep-talking can occur by itself or as a feature of another sleep disorder such as:

• REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) - loud, emotional or profane sleep talking
• Sleepwalking
• Night terrors - intense fear, screaming, shouting
• Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED)

Sleep-talking is very common and is reported in 50% of young children, with most of them outgrowing it by puberty, although it may persist into adulthood (about 5% of adults are reported to talk in their sleep). It appears to run in families.

Sleep-talking by itself is harmless and the content should be taken lightly, however it can wake up others and cause them consternation—especially when misinterpreted as conscious speech by an observer. If the sleep-talking is dramatic, emotional, or profane it may be a sign of another sleep disorder (see above). Sleep-talking can be monitored by a partner or by using an audio recording device; devices which remain idle until detecting a soundwave are ideal for this purpose. In order to prevent sleep-talking a mouthguard may be worn.

One famous sleep talker is Dion McGregor, a man who became something of an underground celebrity when his roommate Michael Barr recorded his nightly soliloquies (which were often hilariously detailed), which were then released as a series of albums in the 60's.