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Sleep Talking

Frustr8d1's picture

My SD12 has talked in her sleep off and on since the day I met her when she was 4 yrs old. During the first 4 yrs of her life, DH would get phone calls from BM telling him SD has night terrors. We have had full custody of SD for 6 yrs now and we've heard her yelling in her sleep many times. It sounds very scary to me because she yells and argues in her sleep. It sounds like she's in her room having a full fight with another person. It just really creeps me out and then I can't sleep because I already have insomnia!

None of my bios ever talked in their sleep so I don't know what causes this.

Comments

learningallthetime's picture

I feel for you - I have a sleepwalker in BS8 - last night he got up and tried to steal my comforter!!! I woke up and asked "what are you doing?" in a soft voice, he replied "I don't know" so I just said "how about we get you back in bed?" He said ok, and I tucked him back in. If he is talking in his sleep, I do the same, just ask what he see's. I think my voice interrupts whatever is going on in his head, and he settles down.

SM12's picture

Although it can be a very scary thing, it is also very common. Several people in my family sleepwalk and have night terrors. Most of them have outgrown the night terrors and just sleep walk/talk into adulthood with the incidents becoming much less frequent.
The only thing you can do is try to calm the person and guide them back to bed. It's not something they can control or even remember doing.
Just make sure they are in a safe environment and understand it will pass in time.

fakemommy's picture

This is mostly a genetic trait. Lucky for me, my DH is a sleep-talker/sleep-walker and he passed this down to all the kids. Woohoo. Night terrors are pretty common with younger kids, but it would help to find a trigger. For most kids, triggers are lack of sleep/over exhaustion and stress. I'd try to remember what skid ate/did/whether they go enough sleep the day before night terrors to see if you can pin point a trigger and go from there.

SM12's picture

Oh...One thing I did find to help with BS and his sleepwalking/ talking. He has to sleep with the TV on. I know....a lot of parents think this is just horrible and OMG how can you let your child sleep with the TV on. Personally I don't care. BS rarely if EVER has instances of sleep talking/ walking with the TV on. But, it I turn it off (even while he is alseep, within 30 minutes he will start jabbering away or wandering the house all while totally asleep. No joke...I have tested the theory more than once. The volumn doens't even have to be up on the TV. Just as long as the TV is on he will sleep through the night.

momandmore's picture

I go through this with my younger SD's. They share a room which is right beside mine and sometimes I think they are fighting with each other when they are supposed to be sleeping.

They both do it but not all of the time. It is just random with them. I don't know why and it has been bad enough before that I have had to wake one of them up and she had no idea what I was talking about. She was screaming and kicking the wall. Since then we have found that SD8's trigger is about her BM. It happens to her more. SD7, I'm really not sure but it doesn't happen with her near as much.