Is your subconscious mind speaking for you?

Is your subconscious mind trying to speak for you? Sleepwalking and sleep talking can reveal a lot about you–and it may not always be positive. 

Sleepwalking, technically known as somnambulism, is described as a “behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while still asleep,” according to Sleep Foundation. Sleepwalking is most likely to occur in people who have a family history of the disorder or people who repeatedly wake up during the night.  

Similar to sleepwalking, sleep talking, also known as somniloquy, is a disorder in which a person talks during the night unknowingly. Sleep talking can come in many variations such as: talking in gibberish, mumbling, monologues, or complete sentences. Although sleep talking doesn’t occur for long periods, it’s common for most people to experience sleep talking at least once. 

So, is sleepwalking dangerous? In some events, sleepwalking can lead to serious health risks or injuries. Only the severity of the sleepwalking episode can reveal potential injuries.  

For years, there’s been a constant back and forth about what we reveal when we sleep talk. A cliché popularized by many people suggests that we reveal our deepest secrets; however, a new study proves otherwise. A study published by the journal Sleep, reveals what happens in our minds while we sleep. They found that some of the most common things said during sleep were words of profanity. Besides profanity, the word “no,” is the most common word spoken during sleep, according to Medical News Today. 

As previously mentioned, sleep talkers don’t reveal their secrets, but they can expose events they saw or random things they encountered that day. It’s important to keep in mind that not everything a sleeping person says will be positive. They may be expressing their opinions on things occurring in their dreams, which could explain why many things spoken during sleep are negative. Dreaming is seen as the brain’s way to process events that happened throughout the day and link the subconscious and conscious mind–which could give insight into a person’s mental/emotional health. If people constantly talk in their sleep it could mean they’re going through a hard time in life and this may be a subconscious way to reveal their struggles. 

Although sleepwalking is more prevalent in children, it happens to adults more than previously thought, according to Stanford University professors. While sleepwalking is typically tied to family history and genetics, people who have depression disorder, alcohol dependence, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more likely to perform other activities in their sleep.

Breanna Chapman, 12, reveals that she suffered from sleepwalking until sixth grade. “Growing up, my room was in the basement. We had a gate at the top of the staircase to keep our dog from getting down there. Some nights I would sleepwalk up the stairs, climb over the gate (I didn’t know how to open it), and go to my sister’s room,” Breanna said while sharing her personal experience. 

Sadly, there is a lack of research to truly prove everything we want to know about the link between your sleep patterns and the subconscious mind. However, with the research that does exist, many sleep disorders are genetic. While it may be genetic, no one is resistant to having a sleep disorder. Sleepwalking and talking are both compelling disorders that not much research has been done about, however, more studies are being conducted to help us better understand what happens while we’re asleep.