Yet, the majority of sleep talk occurs during the three non-REM sleep stages, she explains, according to the authoritative book on the subject, Sleep Talking, by the psychologist Arthur Arkin. And, because sleep talk is more frequent at the borders of sleep stages, people with disrupted sleep are more likely to chatter. Sleep talk is more commonly reported during periods of stress, sleep deprivation, or following alcohol consumption, Zhang adds. Sleep talk is also associated with other types of “parasomnias” like sleep walking and night terrors. Our genes may also play a role in our likelihood to sleep talk, sleep walk, or have other parasomnias.