Talking in your sleep, also called sleep talking, happens when parts of the brain briefly wake up while you are still asleep. During these moments, your brain can produce sounds, words, or even short conversations without you being aware of it. Most people who talk in their sleep do not remember it the next day.
This can occur during any stage of sleep, including deep sleep and dream sleep. It is often linked to normal sleep arousals, when the brain shifts between sleep stages. Stress, lack of sleep, fever, and emotional tension can make these arousals more likely, which helps explain why sleep talking may come and go over time.
Sleep talking is common in both children and adults and is usually harmless. It may appear more often when sleep is fragmented, such as during periods of poor sleep quality or irregular schedules. It can also occur alongside other sleep behaviors, like sleepwalking or vivid dreaming, without meaning something serious is wrong.
In most cases, no treatment is needed. Improving sleep habits and reducing sleep disruption can help lower how often it happens. If sleep talking is frequent, disruptive, or comes with other unusual nighttime behaviors, a sleep medicine specialist can help check for an underlying sleep disorder.