Sleep texting is a type of parasomnia that involves sending or replying to a text message while you’re asleep. Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that can occur during both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM stages of sleep (via Greatist). Much like sleepwalking, sleep texting is an unwanted, unconscious behavior that can happen for a number of reasons.
For instance, sleep texting can be caused by stress, interrupted sleep, not sleeping enough, changes in your sleep schedule, fever, and genetics. It can even be triggered by an underlying medical condition that disrupts your sleep, like sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome.
However, sleep texting most often occurs when you hear a notification on your phone. Whether you receive a text or a notification from an app, any sound from your phone can cause you to respond in your sleep (per Healthline). Since we’re all so accustomed to using our phones all the time, the sound can prompt you to pick up your phone and send a text message.
How to prevent sleep texting
If you’re concerned about sleep texting, there are a few things you can do to prevent this type of parasomnia from happening. According to Healthline, one solution is to turn off your phone. You can also put it on “night mode” or turn off sounds and notifications. Another way to prevent sleep texting is to completely avoid using your phone before bed. Research has shown that using your phone within an hour before going to bed can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep at night.
Experts also recommend leaving your phone outside of your bedroom at night. Keeping your phone near your bed can not only be disruptive and distracting, but the light from the screen can also cause insomnia (via Verywell Health). Ideally, you should keep your phone out of reach at night. This can help improve your overall quality of sleep and prevent you from texting in your sleep.
