Can Depression Cause Sleep Talking?

Why Am I Talking in My Sleep?

People may talk while they are asleep for different reasons Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. View Source . One theory is that people sleep talk as a way of replaying recently formed memories Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . Sleep talking can occur during any sleep stage.

“The main reason talking occurs out of sleep is because a mixed state of consciousness (sleep and wake) is occurring at the same time.”

Dr. Brandon Peters

Sleep Physician, Sleep Psychiatry Expert

Because sleep talking is common and doesn’t usually negatively affect the sleeper, the behavior is often considered normal. Sleep talking hasn’t been widely studied, so experts don’t fully understand what causes it. Normal sleep talking often involves a sleeper only saying a word or short phrase while they are lying down and otherwise appear to be asleep. 

Sometimes, people sleep talk because they have a type of sleep disorder called a disorder of arousal. In these cases, a person does more than just talk while they are asleep. In addition to sleep talking, they may scream and have a sleep terror, stand up and sleepwalk, or engage in other types of movements or behaviors. 

Sleep talking has also been associated with sleep apnea Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , periodic limb movements of sleep,  and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . When sleep talking occurs along with movements in the context of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), it sometimes foreshadows a future diagnosis of Lewy body dementia or Parkinson’s disease.

How Common Is Sleep Talking? 

Research suggests that about 66% of people sleep talk at some point in their lives, and 17% of people have talked in their sleep within the past 3 months. Sleep talking is more common in people who also have certain other sleep conditions, such as sleepwalking. There doesn’t appear to be any difference in sleep talking prevalence across genders. 

When a person sleep talks, they may pause and speak with the timing a person would have in a regular conversation. However, they are asleep and generally do not remember the sleep talking episode upon waking.

Sleep talking is not usually considered problematic in and of itself, unless it bothers a bed partner or brings up uncomfortable conversation topics. Sleep talking and topics of conversation may be coherent or incoherent, with words that may not connect to reality.

Is Sleep Talking a Sign of a Mental Illness? 

Sleep talking is viewed as normal in most cases, and it isn’t considered a symptom or diagnostic criterion for any mental illnesses, including depression Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. View Source . Most people who sleep talk do not have a mental illness. That said, people with mental health disorders are twice as likely to sleep talk. 

Sleep talking often occurs in the context of disrupted sleep. Since mental health conditions often affect sleep, they may inadvertently serve as a trigger for sleep talking and other sleep behaviors Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . For example, someone with depression may experience an early period of REM sleep, and fragmented REM sleep may predispose toward sleep talking. In particular, although it’s not an official diagnostic symptom Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , people who live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly experience sleep talking. Sleep problems including sleep talking are also common in people with bipolar disorder. 

Less research has been done on depression and sleep talking. There is some evidence that sleep talking is linked to lower subjective sleep quality and altered sleep architecture, or the time spent in different sleep stages. Depression also often involves changes in sleep architecture Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. View Source , but not the same changes as those seen in sleep talking. Older studies have linked taking antidepressants to experiencing parasomnias Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , which are sleep behaviors that may include sleep talking. REM sleep behavior disorder may occur more often in someone who is taking an antidepressant. It is unclear if this is simply unmasking a predisposition or present because it is provoked by the medication.

Those who believe their sleep talking may stem from mental health concerns should seek professional help.

How Are Mental Health Conditions Diagnosed? 

If you think you may have depression or another mental health condition, see a mental health professional. Generally, medical professionals begin the diagnostic process by taking your history Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. View Source Trusted Source Medline Plus MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. View Source . They may ask what physical and emotional symptoms you have and how they have fluctuated over time. If they determine you have a mental health disorder, they may prescribe therapy or medication to treat it. 

Along with classic symptoms like low mood and changes in appetite Trusted Source MSD Manuals First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, the Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. View Source , depression can also make it difficult to fall asleep or sleep through the night with early morning awakenings. Your doctor can recommend sleep hygiene tips or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) to sleep more soundly. As your sleep improves, you may find you sleep talk less.

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