Sleep talking is also called somniloquy- has long been seen as a harmless, if sometimes humorous, sleep behaviour.But recent breakthroughs in research are shedding new light on what it might reveal about the brain, memory and mental health.
Latest breakthrough in sleep talking research
- Insight into Memory processing: New studies suggest that sleep talking may be connected to how our brains process memories during REM (Rapid eye moment) sleep.
Researchers found that some speech during sleep mirrors fragments of daily conversations, indicating the brain might be rehearsing or sorting memories.
2.Window into Dream content: Sleep talking sometimes occurs during REM sleep, when dreaming is most vivid.Advanced EEG and audio tracking have shown that what a person says during sleep can sometimes align with the emotional content of their dreams.
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Links to mental health: Sleep talking is now being studied as a possible early sign of emotional stress, anxiety or PTSD.Some researchers believe that frequent sleep talking with aggressive or fearful content may reflect unresolved emotional trauma or suppressed feelings.
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Genetic and neurological clues: Studies show sleep talking may have a hereditary component, especially in families with other parasomnias like sleepwalking or night terrors.
Brain imaging suggests that in sleep talkers, motors speech areas can activate independently of conscious awareness during sleep.
What it might mean in the future???
- Sleep talking may become a tool for non-invasive mental health monitoring.
- Dream decoding through speech during sleep could help researchers better understand the subconscious.
- Could lead to a new therapies for nightmares, anxiety or trauma related sleep disorders.
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