Why does an adult scream in his sleep: the main reasons

Talking in your sleep is considered parasomnia. In medicine, the phenomenon is called somniloquy. The problem most often affects children who have not reached puberty. Experts attribute the failure to the development of the nervous system and a weakened psyche. With age, the condition should normalize on its own. If an adult screams in his sleep, the reasons may be more serious. Psychologists' advice, folk remedies and medications are used as treatment. The doctor is obliged to draw up a course of therapy, focusing on the diagnostic results.

Night screams during sleep in adults

Sleep-speaking (somniloquy) is a common and harmless parasomnia. A person talks in his sleep or even shouts certain phrases loudly, but in the morning he does not remember anything. The attack lasts about half a minute with a high probability of recurrence.

The problem affects approximately 6% of the world's population. The majority of patients are not older than 16 years. The risk group includes people who abuse bad habits, do not maintain sleep hygiene, or have a hereditary predisposition.

The severity of the failure depends on the causative factor. Children scream because of nightmares, and mutter incoherent sounds when faced with a large volume of incoming information. In adulthood, emotional shock comes to the fore. The situation is aggravated by taking medications, alcohol and constant stress.

Characteristic manifestations of the phenomenon

Somniloquy is usually divided into 2 types. The first type is characterized by the pronunciation of clear phrases during the rapid stage of sleep, and the second type is characterized by incoherent sounds during the slow stage. Sleep talking rarely mirrors dreams and occurs to varying degrees. Relatives of the patient can promptly find out about the presence of parasomnia by the following signs:

The sleeping person turns to someone or begins to call for help, which creates the appearance of awakening.
Words are spoken in a whisper or in a loud voice. Speech is clear or unintelligible depending on the stage of sleep.
A person begins to scream, wake up in the middle of the night, cry and wave his arms if he has a terrible dream. The situation is aggravated under the influence of drugs, drugs or alcohol.
The sleeper, without waking up, is able to get out of bed, scream or ask something from relatives. Characteristic manifestations of somnambulism.

Advice! Waking up a person talking in their sleep is very difficult and is not recommended, so as not to disturb the psycho-emotional background.

The problem is rarely identified on its own, since in the morning the patient does not remember anything. They learn about this type of disorder from people sleeping next to them, who are forced to constantly hear screams, unintelligible sounds and conversations at night.

Finding the reason

Experts in the field of neuropathology and psychiatry believe that screams during sleep occur against the background of excessive stimulation of the nervous system. Perhaps the patient often drinks coffee before bed or watches horror movies in the evenings. In second place are the consequences of the accumulation of negative emotions due to regular exposure to stressful situations. If you don’t learn to relax and throw out the negativity, psychosomatic problems will begin to develop over time. A general list of reasons why people scream in their sleep is given below:

Nervous overexcitation. Frequent swearing, bad habits, fear of certain factors, disruption of daily biorhythms, watching horror films and taking tonics contribute to the development of parasomnia. Due to the combination of irritants, nightmares appear, interfering with sleep and provoking sleep talk and sudden awakenings.
Fear under the influence of external factors. You can scream in fear in a dream due to noise, shaking and other sudden and loud actions.
Taking medications. Disruptions in the sleep-wake rhythm develop under the influence of strong psychotropic drugs. Sleepy speech occurs when treatment is abruptly stopped or at the beginning of treatment.
Mental disorders. Many variants of parasomnia are common in mentally ill people.
Impact of alcohol. A drunk person tosses and turns and screams in his sleep due to disproportionate inhibition of parts of the brain. The glitch is especially pronounced when you have nightmares.
Failure to meet healthy sleep criteria. Stuffiness, ambient noise, light in the eyes and other irritants reduce the quality of rest. Gradually, due to lack of sleep, various types of failures develop.

It is important to know! From an esoteric point of view, the main reason why adults scream and toss and turn in their sleep is internal experiences. The sleeper may be afraid of certain things in real life, which leaves its mark on the subconscious.

The main causes of screaming in adults

Why do people scream while sleeping? There are several reasons that contribute to loud noises during sleep, and they all involve rapid activation of the nervous system. In adults, there are an order of magnitude more of them than in children, since their vital activity is subjected not only to more frequent stress, but also to additional stimulation of the nerve centers.

In particular, provoking factors may be the following:

Nightmares are a common cause of screaming during rest.
Fright on sudden awakening.
Prolonged overvoltage.
Side effect of certain medications.
Long-term use of sedative medications or their abrupt withdrawal.
Violation of the daily routine.
Bad habits.
Unsuitable sleeping conditions.
Mental pathologies.

Reasons for concern

Screaming at night stops in children under 16 years of age. If the problem remains relevant or worsens, you will need the help of a neurologist. The specialist will check the child for neurological disorders. If there are no failures, the patient will be redirected to a somnologist and psychotherapist to draw up a picture of sleep and examine the psyche. In some cases, it is urgent to take action before the stated deadline. The following list of alarming symptoms will help you get your bearings in a timely manner:

regular night awakenings due to nightmares;
increased activity of sweat glands;
development of enuresis or encopresis;
manifestation of sleepwalking;
detection of symptoms of shortness of breath;
temperature rise above 38°;
identifying cases of body shuddering during rest;
manifestation of teeth grinding;

The voiced situations cannot be left to chance. Alarming symptoms may indicate the development of serious pathological processes. The patient needs to be urgently examined to draw up an optimal treatment regimen and prevent dangerous consequences.

Remedies against night screams

It is important to understand that screaming in the middle of the night is a visual representation of the nervous system. We need to look for the reason why it happened

Perhaps there was a horror movie at night, or too much coffee was drunk. Computer games, problems with your personal life, the death of a loved one, troubles at work - all this can cause screams at night. By eliminating the cause, you will get rid of the problem.

You can help the body calm down with medications. Such as “Novo-Passit”, “Afobazol” and “Motherwort” are good at stabilizing mood and improving sleep. Don't forget about homeopathy and sedatives.

In general, of course, you can get rid of night screams only if you allow your body to throw out the accumulated negativity. For some it helps, for others it’s sports, for others it’s emotional conversation. Yoga classes, visits, and consultations with a psychologist have a good effect. It's up to you to choose

It doesn't matter how you free yourself from negative emotions. The main thing is that you will do this and will not suffer from night screams

No one, perhaps, will argue with the fact that education means a lot in a person’s life. Today, in the age of scientific discoveries, computerization and nanotechnology, and fairly high competition in the labor market, strong and deep knowledge is especially necessary and important.

Of course, you need to learn, but many, realizing this, do not make any effort or effort. Many people are simply too lazy to sit in class and listen to the teacher’s explanations, and then do their homework. First of all, you need to understand that you are studying not for your parents, not so that you don’t get scolded for bad grades, but for yourself. You study and at the same time “work” for your future: you invest certain costs in your future, which will bring you certain dividends and profits.

Imagine that your future is a kind of enterprise in which, naturally, you first need to invest some money, and only then will it begin to bring you profit. This is the law. So, your knowledge, your educational activity are these means. The more and better you “invest” in your enterprise, called “My Future Life,” the more profit you will make.

How to “invest” funds and knowledge into your enterprise? First of all, train yourself to listen to the teacher in class. A lesson is a working hour, during which you should not be distracted by playing on your phone, talking with classmates, or just daydreaming. There is one simple pattern that you must understand: the more carefully and consciously you listen to the teacher, the easier it will be for you to understand new educational material and complete your homework. If you don't understand something during the teacher's explanation, don't hesitate to ask. The teacher will always explain something additional if he sees your interest in gaining knowledge.

During the lesson you need to work: complete all tasks, answer questions. Don't try to answer all the teacher's questions. Choose those that you know best

Treatment Options

On their own, patients can try to eliminate exposure to external irritants and use available methods of calming the nervous system. This advice is relevant if there are no warning signs. In other cases, you will need the help of a doctor. The course of therapy may include the following treatment options:

traditional methods;
folk recipes;
advice from psychologists.

The treatment regimen will have to be combined with sleep hygiene. Treatment is aimed at stopping the causative factor and eliminating discomfort.

Traditional medicine

Traditional methods are used if the malfunction is difficult to eliminate simply by following the rules of healthy sleep. A somnologist prepares a course of treatment based on the results of the examination. A treatment scheme with 3 integral elements is presented:

taking vitamin complexes;
undergoing physiotherapeutic procedures;
the use of drugs to calm the nervous system.

Attention! Drugs with a hypnotic effect and physiotherapy are prescribed only by the attending physician. You can only take vitamins and slightly sedative plant-based medications on your own.

Folk recipes

Traditional medicine rarely causes adverse reactions and can be easily prepared at home. It has a sedative effect thanks to lemon balm, valerian, hawthorn and other natural ingredients. The following methods are suitable for normalizing sleep:

Herbal infusions with a sedative effect eliminate nervous excitement. The medicine is prepared from 1-2 tbsp. l. collection (hawthorn, valerian, peppermint), poured with 500 ml of boiling water. After 20 minutes of infusion, you should discard the raw materials and leave the liquid. Take ½ cup morning and evening.
Inhaling relaxing aromas calms the nervous system. The patient needs to pour lavender, chamomile and lemon balm in equal parts into a cloth bag and place it under the pillow or next to the bed.
Warm water with 1 tsp added. Honey perfectly relieves nervous tension. It is enough to drink 1 cup of sweet drink before bed.
Evening foot baths allow you to relax and forget about your problems. The effect will be improved by adding essential oils, pine needles and chamomile to warm water.

Most methods are relevant for treating representatives of any age group.

Advice! If you are prone to allergies, it is advisable to consult a doctor before using folk remedies.

Recommendations from a psychologist

Screams in a dream are regarded by experts as a manifestation of suppressed emotions. In real life, many people cannot fully express dissatisfaction, irritation, and resentment due to the disapproval of such demonstrations by society. Gradually, negativity accumulates, which leads to the development of parasomnia.

As a treatment, it is enough to understand the cause of the failure and “pour out” the emotions to a loved one

person or express your indignation in writing. You can repeat the procedure until complete recovery. If the recommendation does not help or the patient is not able to understand what exactly is “compressed inside”, you need to do the following exercise:

find a comfortable body position;
close eyes;
make sure your breathing remains even;
remember your happiest memory;
think about the sensations you experience after waking up;
Comparing emotions, draw a conclusion for yourself.

If you perform the exercise correctly, you will be able to discern the source of the problem. Further actions should be aimed at releasing suppressed emotions.

Psychologist's advice

If a person screams in a dream, this may be a sign of a subconscious desire to express his emotions in reality to some person. Showing negative feelings is rarely welcomed in society. A person, for various reasons (upbringing, fear of punishment, secondary benefit) tries to hide his true emotions from others, and often he successfully hides them from himself. It could be fear, rage, resentment, irritation. In this case, only by realizing and openly expressing your feelings can you get rid of sleep problems.

To begin with, you can use “safe” methods, for example, opening up to a friend or writing a letter to a person, expressing everything in it, and then burning it. If necessary, the process can be repeated until the parasomnia symptoms disappear.

To avoid screaming in fear at night, try to figure out its causes during the day.

For those people who do not fully understand why they scream in their sleep, what emotions they suppress, psychologists recommend doing the following exercise.

Take a comfortable, relaxed position, close your eyes, and even out your breathing. Find one of the most pleasant and joyful memories in your memory and enjoy it.
Then you should remember your feelings after waking up. What is it – fear, anxiety, malice, anger? Where are these feelings located in the body? How can they be described by visualization? Color, size, smell, weight?
If these emotions could talk, what would they say?

As a rule, at this stage it becomes clear what a person is afraid of or what makes him angry.

What to do when screaming in your sleep, when psychotherapy does not help and the attacks are severe:

drug treatment is recommended (taking sleeping pills and sedatives, nootropics under the supervision of a doctor);
physiotherapy (massage, mud therapy, relaxing baths, electrosleep);
vitamin therapy (taking B vitamins, magnesium, fatty acids, tryptophan).

Relatives of someone screaming in their sleep should remember that it is impossible to wake them up abruptly during an attack. Due to a sudden awakening in the REM phase of sleep, a person ultimately does not get enough sleep. This may lead to worsening of the disorder in the future. It is better to speak soothing words, stroke the person’s hand, quietly call him by name until he gradually wakes up or falls asleep peacefully further.

Prevention of disturbances in the sleep-wake rhythm

The development of parasomnia can be stopped by eliminating exposure to irritating factors. The patient must establish a sleep-wake schedule, create a suitable environment for relaxation in the bedroom and follow the recommendations of doctors. It’s easier to focus on the general list of tips:

To refuse from bad habits. Alcohol-containing drinks, drugs and cigarettes have a detrimental effect on the body. If you cannot stop yourself, you should contact specialized institutions.
Creating comfortable conditions for relaxation. A person should feel relaxed in the bedroom. It is necessary to try to create a quiet and darkened environment with an air temperature of 18 to 22° and a humidity of up to 50-60%.
Try not to excite the nervous system in the evening. A few hours before rest, it is recommended to stop working at the computer and watching TV. Only moderate physical and intellectual activity is allowed. Instead of coffee and energy drinks, it is better to drink tea or a herbal decoction with a sedative effect. Shortly before bed, you can walk down the street, listen to relaxing music, read a book or take a bath.
Follow the schedule. You need to go to bed and wake up at the same time. Failure to comply with the rule will lead to disruption of daily biorhythms and lack of sleep.
Don't overeat before bed. It is advisable to take the last meal 2-3 hours before rest, otherwise digestive problems will arise.

Screams in sleep are considered a common manifestation of excessive stimulation of the nervous system. In the absence of other irritants, it is enough to follow the advice of specialists to normalize the psycho-emotional state. If the problem is the development of pathologies or addiction to harmful substances, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Remedies against night screams

It is important to understand that screaming in the middle of the night is a clear overstimulation of the nervous system. We need to look for the reason why it happened

You can help the body calm down with medications. Drugs such as Novo-Passit, Afobazol and Motherwort are good at stabilizing mood and improving sleep. Don't forget about homeopathy and sedative herbs.

In general, of course, you can get rid of night screams only if you allow your body to throw out the accumulated negativity. For some, music helps, for others, sports, for others, sincere conversation. Yoga classes, visiting the pool, and consulting a psychologist have a good effect. It's up to you to choose

It doesn't matter how you free yourself from negative emotions. The main thing is that you will do this and will not suffer from night screams

Of course, you need to study, but many, realizing this, do not make any effort or diligence in their studies. Many people are simply too lazy to sit in class and listen to the teacher’s explanations, and then do their homework. First of all, you need to understand that you are studying not for your parents, not for teachers, not so that you are not scolded for bad grades, but for yourself. You study and at the same time “work” for your future: you invest certain costs in your future, which will bring you certain dividends and profits.

Imagine that your future is a kind of enterprise in which, naturally, you first need to invest some money, and only then will it begin to bring you profit. This is the law of the market. So, your knowledge, your educational activity are these means. The more and better you “invest” in your enterprise, called “My Future Life,” the more profit you will make.

How to “invest” funds and knowledge in your enterprise correctly? First of all, train yourself to listen to the teacher in class. A lesson is a working hour, during which you should not be distracted by playing on your phone, talking with classmates, or just daydreaming. There is one simple pattern that you must understand: the more carefully and consciously you listen to the teacher, the easier it will be for you to understand new educational material and complete your homework. If you don't understand something during the teacher's explanation, don't hesitate to ask. The teacher will always explain something additional if he sees your interest in gaining knowledge.

During the lesson you need to work: complete all tasks, answer questions. Don't try to answer all the teacher's questions. Choose those to which you know the answers best. And don't be shy to raise your hand. Moreover, do not be afraid to be a literate, knowledgeable student, do not be shy to be a “nerd”. Remember, you are working for your future. And what do you care about the ridicule of your classmates, they have nothing to do with your future. It is their choice to study or not to study. And you must make your own.

Manage your time correctly, evenly alternating study activities and rest. If the teacher offers to write an essay, agree. Working on an essay is additional knowledge; it is the skill of receiving and processing information from various sources. This is the development of the ability and skills to choose the main thing in the text, compare different points of view, draw conclusions and work independently. All this will certainly be useful in the future.

Participate in various intellectual Olympiads and competitions. Participation, and even more so victory in them, is a real public assessment of your knowledge and your abilities. This will increase your confidence in yourself and in the success of your studies.

what to do to study better

A desperate cry in a dream warns of a difficult period that you can overcome if you gather your strength now. However, the interpretation of the dream must take into account such details as the volume, the reason and, if possible, the identity of the screaming character. The dream book will help you figure out what this sound means in your dreams.

Why does an adult grind his teeth in his sleep?

The main cause of disturbances is stress. Bruxism is a natural human reaction to nervous shock, excess physical and mental activity, and emotional overexcitement. Teeth grinding at night can also be the result of ingesting large amounts of caffeine, alcohol, and may be a consequence of insomnia or nightmares. When a person goes to bed with anger that does not allow him to relax, bruxism seems to help relieve tension.

If you grind your teeth in your sleep, it may be due to your oral health. Grinding can occur due to malocclusion, missing teeth, and improperly sized crowns or bridges.