Sleepwalking and Talking: What You Need to Know

We know sleep is important for everyone – especially children as they continue to grow and develop. But does your child walk in their sleep? Or maybe talk in their sleep? Is there a reason to be concerned about sleepwalking and sleep talking?

What Are Sleepwalking and Talking?

Sleepwalking: Sleepwalking happens when a child is asleep but does activities such as sitting up, getting out of bed, eating, or even getting dressed. Those activities could last a few seconds to a half hour – and the child will usually never remember they did it! It usually happens within the first couple hours of a child falling asleep.

Sleep Talking: Sleep talking happens when a child talks in their sleep – either words and sounds that make no sense, or a normal conversation – and they usually don’t remember it happening.

Sleepwalking and talking usually go away by the teen years.

How Common Are Sleepwalking and Talking?

Sleepwalking: Up to 15 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 16 sleepwalk. The most common trigger is being overtired.

Sleep Talking: Children are more likely to talk in their sleep and can outgrow it as they get older. As children get older, sleep talking episodes usually decrease and can happen once every few months or so. They are most common in kids ages 2 to 12.

What Causes Sleepwalking or Talking?

Sleepwalking: Sleepwalking can be caused by many things:

• Lack of sleep or going to bed late
• Illness or stress
• Noisy or new environment
• Some medications
• Sleeping with a full bladder

Sleep Talking: The causes of sleep talking are not as well-known but could include:

• Sleep deprivation
• Genetics (sleep talking can run in the family)
• Mental health conditions
• Fever or illness

How Can Sleepwalking or Talking Be Treated or Stopped?

Sleepwalking: In most cases, sleepwalking needs no treatment. Episodes are typically rare, and there is little to no risk for the child experiencing it. Children usually outgrow sleepwalking.

If sleepwalking continues, there are a few things you can do to help your child.

• Keep Your Child Safe: Try to reduce any safety concerns by removing trip hazards, closing and locking doors, and keeping dangerous objects out of reach. You can also put a gate on stairs and close windows.
• Modify Bedtime Routines: Make sure your child has a consistent bedtime routine and is getting enough sleep. Reduce screen time if needed.
• Treat Underlying Causes: Sometimes, a child’s sleepwalking can be linked to other underlying conditions or disorders. If this is the case, treating those conditions may help to resolve the sleepwalking episodes. If you believe this is the case for your child, contact your doctor.
• Help Them Back to Bed: Gently guide your child back to bed, but do not try to wake them up or startle them. This could further disrupt sleep, prolong the episode and cause fear. Speaking calmly and quietly can help your child. Also, try not to let them feel ashamed, since this is normal in childhood.

Sleep Talking: Unlike sleepwalking, the cause of sleep talking is not as well understood and there is limited knowledge on how to prevent it. However, sleep talking episodes don’t happen often, and usually don’t disturb sleep, so treatment or intervention is typically not needed.

There are a few things you can do to help your child stop talking in their sleep.

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule for your child, even on the weekends.
• Give children some time to relax before bed and put away all electronic devices at least a half-hour before bedtime.
• Help create a dark, comfortable, distraction-free sleep space for your child.
• Find time for your children to be physically active throughout the day.
• Avoid caffeine.

When to Call a Doctor

Call a doctor or health care provider if:

• The episodes become more and more frequent.
• Your child has nighttime snoring.
• Episodes last beyond puberty.
• You think stress, anxiety, worry or trauma may be causing sleep problems.
• Your child does something dangerous during an episode or has atypical or violent episodes.