How common is it to talk in your sleep?

Key takeaways

• It’s one of the most common things people do in their sleep. In a Norwegian survey, two-thirds of adults said they had talked in their sleep at some point, and about one in six had done it in the last three months.

• It’s even more common in children. In a large Canadian study, 84% of children talked in their sleep at some point between the ages of 2½ and 6.

• It runs in families. A large study of Finnish twins found that genes explain about half of the differences in childhood sleep talking.

• What people say is mostly mumbling. In a French sleep-lab study of recorded sleep speech, most episodes weren’t words at all, and “no” was the most common word.

• It’s usually harmless. See a doctor if it starts in adulthood, comes with shouting or flailing, or happens alongside daytime sleepiness.

How common sleep talking is

Very common. In a 2010 telephone survey of 1,000 adults in Norway, 66.8% said they had talked in their sleep at some point in their lives, and 17.7% said they had done it in the previous three months. That made it the most common lifetime sleep behavior in the survey, just ahead of nightmares.

Children do it even more. A study of 1,997 families in Quebec found that 84.4% of children talked in their sleep at some point between the ages of 2½ and 6. In an older Brazilian study of 2,022 children aged 3 to 10, about half talked in their sleep at least once a year, though fewer than 10% did it every night.

Unlike sleepwalking and night terrors, which mostly fade in childhood, sleep talking often carries on. A Canadian study of 1,353 children, with mothers’ reports covering ages 3 to 13, found it was still common at 13.

Numbers vary between studies because they ask different questions. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine puts lifetime sleep talking at 60% to 65% of people, and says about half of young children and about 5% of adults do it.

Why some people talk in their sleep more

Genes. In a 1998 study of more than 3,700 pairs of Finnish twins, identical twins were much more alike in their sleep talking than fraternal twins. The researchers estimated that genes accounted for about half of the differences between people in childhood sleep talking, and somewhat less in adulthood.

Other sleep behaviors. Sleep talking often goes along with sleepwalking and night terrors, especially in children. Our post on whether it’s dangerous to wake a sleepwalker covers that side of things.

Stress and broken sleep. In a small study, frequent sleep talkers recorded at home during the COVID-19 pandemic had more episodes than a group recorded before it, which the authors put down to stress. Sleep talking has also been linked to more broken sleep.

Medicines. Occasionally a medicine may be the trigger. In at least one case report, sleep talking started with montelukast, an asthma and allergy drug, and stopped when it was withdrawn. If it starts soon after a new prescription, mention it to your doctor.

When it happens

Sleep talking can happen in any stage of sleep, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Speech during dreaming (REM) sleep tends to be clearer, with full sentences, according to a 2001 review. Whether sleep talk reflects what someone is dreaming isn’t well understood.

What do people say in their sleep?

Mostly nothing you could make out. A 2017 French sleep-lab study recorded 232 adults in a sleep lab and analyzed 883 episodes of speech. Most of them, 59%, were mumbling, laughing, whispering, or shouting rather than words.

Of the words they could understand, “no” was the most common, and about one in five sentences were negative. Almost 10% of sentences included swearing, and men swore more than women. Much of the speech sounded like one side of an argument, with pauses as if the sleeper were listening to someone else.

Most of the recorded speech came from people with sleep disorders such as REM sleep behavior disorder and sleepwalking, so it may sound more combative than ordinary sleep talk.

Does sleep talk reveal secrets?

Not reliably. The words are usually fragments, and since sleep talkers rarely remember what they said, there’s no reason to treat them as confessions or “the truth.” It’s closer to overhearing a scrap of a dream. If a partner says something hurtful or strange in their sleep, the kindest reading is most likely the right one.

When to see a doctor

Sleep talking on its own rarely needs treatment. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests seeing a doctor if:

• it starts in adulthood, or becomes more frequent

• it comes with limb movements

• the person is very sleepy during the day

Shouting, kicking, or punching while asleep can be a sign of REM sleep behavior disorder, in which people act out their dreams. It most often starts after 50 and is worth having checked. In a 2024 study of 8,001 adults in China, people who said they talked in their sleep had a somewhat higher risk of stroke over the following years, though that’s a link rather than proof that one causes the other.

Living with a sleep talker

If you share a bed with someone who talks in their sleep, it’s usually your sleep that suffers.

• Don’t try to have a conversation. Whatever they say, it isn’t a real exchange, and they usually won’t remember it.

• Block the noise. Earplugs or a steady background sound can cover mumbling. Our guides to earplugs for sleeping and white noise cover the options.

• Help them sleep well. Sleep talking has been linked to broken sleep, so a regular schedule may help.

• Think about separate rooms on bad nights. Sleeping apart now and then doesn’t mean something is wrong with the relationship, as our post on sleeping apart explains.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to talk in your sleep?

Yes. About two-thirds of adults have done it at some point, and most young children do. It’s usually harmless and doesn’t need treatment.

Why do I talk in my sleep?

It runs in families, and it’s been linked to broken sleep and stress. Occasionally a medicine is the trigger. Often there’s no clear reason.

Can you have a conversation with a sleep talker?

Sometimes they seem to answer, but it isn’t a real conversation, and they usually won’t remember it.

Do people tell the truth when they talk in their sleep?

There’s no evidence that they do. Sleep talk is usually fragments that may or may not relate to a dream, so it shouldn’t be taken as a confession.

Do children grow out of sleep talking?

Many talk less as they get older, but sleep talking is more likely than sleepwalking or night terrors to continue into the teenage years and adulthood.

Should I see a doctor about sleep talking?

Usually not. See a doctor if it starts in adulthood, comes with shouting or acting out dreams, or happens with sleepwalking or heavy daytime sleepiness.