Sleep Expert on “Sleep Talkin’ Man:” It Could Happen To You

Summary: Noted sleep expert and SleepBetter.org contributor comments on nighttime chatterbox who has become an Internet sensation.

(Richmond, Va.) — An English ad-man’s overnight verbal outbursts are an Internet phenomenon, but noted sleep expert Michael J. Breus, PhD, a contributor to sleep tips web site SleepBetter.org, says sleep talking is actually quite common and may have a genetic underpinning.

If you haven’t heard about Adam Lennard by now, you probably will. Lennard has become a world-wide Internet comedy star because his wife records his sleep talking nightly. She posts his nocturnal comments on her personal blog, called “Sleep Talkin’ Man”. Both husband and wife insist Lennard is sound asleep when he makes observations such as the following:

• “You can’t be a pirate if you haven’t got a beard. I said so. MY boat, MY rules.”
• “No dog, no play. It’s as simple as that.”
• “I think you should sit down. Surely your ankles can’t take the weight.”
• “I want to be a cowboy. I don’t want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!”

“Generally speaking, sleep talking can be a frequent event where the sleeper vocalizes anything from mere utterances to a coherent entire conversation,” says Breus. “Often the sleeper will have a monotone voice or grunt out the words, sometimes incoherently. While others have been known to actually sing in their sleep.”

Breus, who is the author of the book Beauty Sleep, says sleep-talking usually occurs in the lighter stages of Non-REM sleep and sleepers usually have no memory of what they said. “The actual words or phrases have little to no truth, and usually occur when they are stressed, during times of fever, as a medication side effect or during disrupted sleep,” Breus added.

Some good news for the Sleep Talkin’ Man and others who mutter in their sleep: sleep talking in and of itself is nothing to worry about. Said Breus, “There is no indication of psychopathology. It really does not mean anything that we currently know of. We do know that it will also happen in times of sleep deprivation.”

The only thing you may have to worry about is who happens to be recording you while you’re sleeping.

For information to help you sleep better, please visit http://sleepbetter.org. You can also find sleep tips and articles from SleepBetter on Twitter and Facebook.

About Dr. Michael Breus
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Breus is also the author of Beauty Sleep and the in-house sleep expert for SleepBetter.org.

Dr. Breus is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and belongs to several speakers¹ bureaus. He has provided editorial services for numerous medical and psychology peer-reviewed journals and has given hundreds of presentations to professionals and the general public. Find out more about Dr. Breus by visiting http://www.thesleepdoctor.org.

About Carpenter Co. / SleepBetter.org
SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the web site creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss, and discover solutions to their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the Sleep Better seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically based design. Created by Carpenter Co., the world’s largest producer of comfort cushioning products, SleepBetter.org provides information and advice that visitors can use to sleep better. For more information, please visit http://SleepBetter.org.

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This release can also be found at these sites:
SleepBetter.org: Sleep Expert on “Sleep Talkin’ Man:” It Could Happen To You
PRWeb: Sleep Expert on “Sleep Talkin’ Man:” It Could Happen To Anyone
Online PR News: Sleep Expert on “Sleep Talkin’ Man:” It Could Happen To Anyone