As a theologian, the topic of sleep talking has always captivated me. A few years ago, I got curious about the spiritual meaning behind sleep talking after reading “Sleep Talking: Science, Needs & Misconceptions” by Yvonne Harrison.
It prompted me to learn more about this phenomenon. I decided to do extensive research on the spiritual meaning of sleep, talking with the help of several books based on this topic.
Recently, a member of my online forum who talks in his sleep wanted to understand if there is any spiritual meaning behind his sleep-talking behaviour and what he could do to stop sleep-talking.
I decided to answer his questions based on my comprehensive research on the topic. So, what is the spiritual meaning of sleep talking?
Although the Bible does not explain the spiritual meaning of sleep talking, many believe that it is an indication of spiritual interaction. Some people believe that when we sleep, our souls leave our bodies and connect to the spiritual world, and this allows us to communicate with our spirit guides in a powerful way that makes us talk in our sleep.
Join me in this article as I explore more about this topic. I will discuss why people talk in their sleep, what it means if you are talking in your sleep, 12 spiritual reasons why you are talking in your sleep, the meaning of hearing yourself talk in your sleep, and how to stop sleep-talking. So, read on till the end.
Why do people talk in their sleep?
Sleep talking is a type of parasomnia that is estimated to occur in two in three people at some point in their lives. Sleep talking happens equally in men and women, but it frequently happens to children.
There is no distinct answer as to why some people talk in their sleep while others don’t. Commonly, people that talk in their sleep do not have any underlying illness.
However, sometimes it can be connected to genetics, mental health issues, stress, sleep disorders, and certain medications.
Sleep talking can be hereditary, and research has shown direct links between sleep talking and heredity. In addition, sleep talking is related to mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to research, the occurrence of sleep talking in individuals with PTSD or other mental issues is twice as high compared to individuals who lack such mental problems.
Stress is another contributing factor to sleep talking in individuals. When people are stressed, they disturb the natural depth of their sleep, and this increases their chances of sleep talking.
Sleep talking is also triggered by some sleep disorders. Individuals with sleep disorders or a history of other sleep disorders such as night terrors, sleep apnea, and sleepwalking are at an increased risk of sleep talking.
Certain medications, such as antidepressants, have also been found to trigger sleep talking in people.
What does it mean if you are talking in your sleep?
Sleep talking involves simple mumbling sounds, long and incoherent speeches, loud shots, and full conversations without recall. Talking in your sleep can happen during any stage and state of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep.
Sleep-talking episodes are short and rarely comprise extended conversations; the whole episode may only include a few sentences or a handful of words. There are different sources of content during sleep-talking episodes.
The sleep-talking content may or may not have a clear association connection to an individual’s prior conversations, recent events, and life.
Additionally, the content during sleep talking is believed to be associated with the spiritual world and may be related to dreams.
Sleep talking is often harmless and does not significantly affect a person’s sleep, and usually does not happen often enough to cause any grave problems.
However, a large number of people freak out because they do not know they are sleep-talking when they are asleep and also because they cannot remember anything uttered during sleep talking after they wake up.
12 Spiritual reasons why you are talking in your sleep
Spiritual reasons for talking in your sleep can be profound and include but are not limited to;
You are conversing with your spirit guides
When individuals talk in their sleep, many believe they may be possibly communicating and connecting with their spirit guides.
There is a belief that they do so because, at this time, people are unconscious and can quickly receive guidance and messages without being clouded by their thoughts and judgments of what is factual and what is not.
The utterances people speak while in their sleep are believed to be responses and questions to the spirit guides, or they could result from a spirit guide speaking through an individual.
By sleep talking, it is believed people create a chance for their souls to be released from their bodies to access guidance, wisdom, and information from spirit guides.
Communicating with spirit guides is believed by many to be powerful and direct because it evades conscious filters such as doubt and fear.
You are getting answers to some of your pressing questions from the universe
Sometimes, talking in your sleep is believed to be a sign that the universe is trying to answer some of your pressing questions.
When individuals are confused about the path to take in life or are struggling with life-changing decisions, many believe that the spirit realm reaches out to communicate how these individuals can overcome the present obstacles and provide answers that offer them enlightenment on what to do or which course they can take.
You are connecting with your inner desires
When we sleep, random thought processes and memories can make us talk. And through sleep talking, individuals are believed to be able to release any underlying worries or thoughts they might have repressed during the day.
When individuals are awake, their minds often decide what needs to be said and what does not need to be said. However, when we sleep, there are no restrictions; thus, many believe that our subconscious mind comes to life through our words, and we end up releasing any worries or thoughts.
You are releasing worries or thoughts
Some people posit that when we talk in our sleep, we let out our inner desires, allowing us to connect with ourselves and gain insight into what we can do to bring them to fruition.
Thus, through sleep talking, they imply that individuals are given a way of expressing their innermost desires and subconscious feelings in an unedited way, and in doing so, they can connect with themselves and clear up mysteries within themselves.
You are conversing with other entities
In some situations, people believe some individuals might interact spiritually with other entities besides spirit guides. Many believe that in the spiritual dimensions, there are several beings, and people converse with any of them at night.
Like spirit guides, other spiritual beings are believed to communicate with people during their sleep. Many people believe that the reasons they converse with people are endless, ranging from wanting to pass along essential messages to warnings.
Additionally, they are considered to communicate with individuals because they have formed connections with them and wish to keep sharing knowledge and information.
Your unconscious mind is revealing hidden insights
Many believe that sometimes we talk in our sleep, it is not because we are experiencing paranormal activity but because we are simply communicating with our unconscious minds.
In such cases, it is believed that the unconscious mind of someone who sleeps talks is attempting to help the individual with something they have been struggling with. It is believed that an individual’s unconscious mind sometimes knows things or answers some questions before the conscious brain grasps them.
Therefore, when people talk in their sleep, it is believed that it is an indication that an individual’s unconscious mind is trying to reach out and communicate insight with the conscious mind of that individual.
You are having trouble expressing your feelings and thoughts
Sleep walking is sometimes believed to be a sign of repressed thoughts and emotions. When someone finds it hard to communicate something or bottles up their feelings and thoughts for a long time, the body is believed to find ways of expressing them, including sleep talking.
Your manifestation is about to come true
When we sleep, many believe that our bodies assume a state where people believe anything can be achieved. This is believed to prompt people to express their inner desires to the universe.
Thus, through sleep talking, it is believed that we are communicating our inner desires to the universe, and getting a meaningful moment of clarity after this is believed to indicate that our manifestation is coming true.
Your loved one that has recently passed is conversing with you
In some instances, it is said that when people sleep talk, they are communicating with a loved one who has recently passed away. The loved one is believed to reach out to people filled with worry and sadness due to their death.
Thus, when they reach out, many believe they offer reassurance that they are at peace and can find solace in letting go of their sadness and worries.
Your spirit is restless
When we sleep, it is believed that people are no longer in the same reality, so their spirits leave their bodies and wander to other dimensions. Thus, when people talk in their sleep, their spirits are believed to communicate in a parallel universe.
A sign of warning
In some cases, sleep talking is believed to be a warning sign. Many believe that when someone talks in their sleep, the universe is speaking through them and passing a message of caution.
Caution messages can range from being warned about trusting people to warnings about impending danger.
A sign for action
When we cannot decide during the day, many believe that our unconscious mind will attempt to make the decision when we are asleep. Thus, when we talk in our sleep, it is believed it could be our mind advising us on how to proceed with a particular decision.
Meaning of hearing yourself talk in your sleep
When a person hears themselves talking when they are asleep is believed as communication between a person and their true authentic self.
Hearing yourself talk is believed to be your authentic self coming out in search of healing and help. This is why many believe that hearing yourself in your sleep has spiritual meaning.
When people hear themselves talking, the words that they utter originate from deep inside them, and in more cases than not, they are believed to help them understand experiences and emotions that are hard and those that may not be inferred by conscious thought alone.
Additionally, hearing yourself speak is believed to be a sign of spiritual development and growth. It is believed that when people are in deep states of sleep, they can gain access to other realms of consciousness, thus, hearing oneself talk while sleeping can truly be a symbol of spiritual development and growth.
Individuals who experience this are believed to have visions of their inner wisdom and to obtain guidance from dominions of higher energy.
Hearing yourself, talk is also believed to be a sign of harboring negative thoughts about another person. It is believed that when one hears oneself mumbling angrily, it signifies that there is an underlying source of negativity that needs to be looked into in their life.
This gives the person a chance to address such negativity, and this triggers healing and the release of negative emotions.
How to stop sleep talking
Talking in your sleep is a behavior that hardly necessitates any type of treatment because it is harmless and primarily an issue to the observer compared to the person who is sleep talking.
And because there is not much research to explain the causes of sleep talking, there is inadequate information about verified methods of stopping sleep talking.
However, if an individual experiences sleep talking that is disruptive and persistent, and they want to manage and reduce it, there exist some remedies that people can use.
The first order of business for individuals who want to curb sleep talk is to improve one’s sleep hygiene. An individual’s sleep hygiene comprises the habits that affect their sleep and their sleep environment.
There exist sleep tips that are healthy and that can be adapted to suit a person’s situation and help eradicate any potential cause of sleep disruptions.
However, some of the main ways to improve one’s sleep hygiene include but are not limited to;
- Sleep in an environment that is free from distraction and has reduced sound or light pollution.
- Sleep on a surface with comfortable and cozy bedding, pillows, and a mattress that best suits one’s needs.
- Give yourself sufficient time to relax and wind down. This can include taking a warm shower, casting aside electronic devices, meditation, gentle stretching, and dimming the lights at least an hour before one retires to bed.
- Getting sufficient sleep consistently to avoid sleep deprivation, ideally, individuals should sleep for about seven to nine hours.
- Decreasing and eliminating caffeine, alcohol, and other types of stimulants late in the evening- ideally six hours before retiring to bed.
- Maintain a sleeping habit that is healthy, which includes sleeping enough and at the right time.
- Following a sleep pattern, including on weekends, that comprises a sleep schedule can also help eliminate or instead stop sleep talking. This is usually characterized by sleeping at the same time and waking up at the same time daily.
- Get regular exercise and a regular dose of sunlight during the day. This will help calm and relax your mind.
- Keep a diary where one records their patterns. This enables people who talk in their sleep to notice patterns in their sleep habits that may be contributing to their tendencies of sleeping talking.
In cases where sleep talking is persistent or when a change of one’s sleep hygiene is not effective, or when a person suspects that their sleep-taking tendencies have links to other sleep disorders, individuals can seek medical help from their doctors to get to the bottom of the underlying problem and get a recommendation of the most suitable treatment for the situation.
One of the recommended ways of treating sleep talking is the use of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT is a form of therapy that mainly concentrates on changes in thoughts, behavior, and patterns.
It also focuses on solidifying coping mechanisms and bettering emotional regulation. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps individuals who talk in their sleep by employing relaxation skills and leading them with the help of instructions.
This helps reduce their anxiety. However, even though research has shown that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) may assist in lowering sleep talking, there exists no conclusive solution to stop the behavior of talking in your sleep.
Nevertheless, the Bible cautions us about believing in superstitions. In 1 Timothy 4:7, we are instructed to disregard impudent and silly myths and train ourselves for godliness.
In this verse, the Bible encourages us to rely on God’s godliness and overlook myths that are senseless and impertinent. We should not rely on superstitions as sources for answers to certain mysteries.
Instead, we should rely on God for answers since he promised us in Luke 11:9 that whatever we ask for will be given to us.
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
