To ask about internal monologue

[InnerMonologue]

Posting here mainly for traffic and have NC for this.

Essentially I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this and whether I should be speaking to a doctor (I've tried Google but not much comes up really).

So I've always had an internal monologue, mostly it narrates what's happening, also just talks to itself e.g. it might chatter away saying things like "oh I must remember to take the bins out. Oh I wonder how such and such is doing, haven't heard from them in a while." Etc, all normal. Now the voice I can hear it inside my head, it's my own voice I hear, I can control it if I want to.

Last night I was trying to go to sleep but struggled because all of a sudden there were multiple voices including my own, the other voices were not my voice, I couldn't control them and I couldn't focus on my own thoughts because of these other voices talking over mine. I was awake during this.

Not sure if relevant but I am 4 months postpartum with first DC (who is going through the 4 month sleep regression) so I am somewhat tired.

I'm not sure whether this is normal and just because of stress/worry/tiredness or something I should see a GP about. When looking on Google all I could find were articles about people having different types of internal monologue etc but nothing about the sudden change.

This morning the other voices seem to have gone and I'm back to my usual internal monologue, but the episode last night has me a bit baffled.

Has anyone else experienced this or know what could cause this?

Thanks guys

I sometimes get this when I'm falling asleep if I'm stressed.
The voices aren't usually saying anything meaningful, it's like listening to other people's loud conversations on the train. I think of it as distorted echoes from the day.
I sometimes tell them out loud to shut up and it usually works.

There is a postpartum condition which can become quite frightening to the person with hallucinations - but that is quite seperate from sleep deprivation/that weird thing when you just wake up/drop off to sleep.

Please speak to the hv if this happens x

I used to get this when I was younger (20s, pre-kids) - although not really a flurry, more like a snippet or two of some stranger having a random conversation. They sounded really real, to the point where I wondered if it was some form of telepathy which happened whilst falling asleep because the brain was relaxed 🤔😶 I don't think that now.

I think it's probably something that can happen when you're not in a good sleep routine - in my 20s I was all over the place with staying up late, sleeping in, drinking coffee, smoking. It stopped for me when I settled down and got a more normal routine going.

Sounds like tiredness / post PP. try not to worry to much - I would mention to HV, and then onto GP if they suggest. If you are in anyway feeling generally wobbly then to GP right away.

Brains are such complex things. It will pass but it must have been v frightening.

This is the what my ADHD is like.

Look up both hypnagogic auditory hallucinations and hypnagogic visual hallucinations.

Sounds like sleep deprivation to me (not a doctor!). I had some really weird experiences with my first DC who slept no longer than 2 hours at a time for months.

Auditory hallucinations can be caused by lack of sleep, but I would definitely speak to your GP to rule out anything more serious .

I get this. When the people realise I’m listening in they stop, but by then I’m properly awake. It’s annoying.

No harm in asking the GP about it though.

@HeyMoana

This is the what my ADHD is like.

Interesting you say this, I have posted about my experience and I have ADHD. It's as thought my brain has taken in all this stuff during the day and has to let it out before I can sleep.

I have this and I'm pretty sure it's ADHD-related (for me anyway and a lot of others reckon the same thing)

Also my view is that it's normal.
children talk to themselves a lot, especially during creative play - it's a normal part of child development.

as adults we are supposed to drop "thinking out loud" (I don't know why) but it carries on as an internal or external monologue for most people, even if it's just a bit of muttering regarding lost keys or how bloody cold it is!😁

There's nothing wrong with talking to yourself out loud or in your head.
I do both and they help with problem solving, getting organised, remembering things, learning a new language or songs or text....

Btw OP you might already be on it, but if not there is a 4m sleep regression thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/4403751-sleep-regression-anyone-else-want-to-join-sleepless-mums?msgid=113080119#113080119

I've always had an internal monologue, but never asked anyone else as wasn't sure if it was normal 😂

I also have a form of ocd, where I pretty much go through each and every conversation I have had during the day, during this I do hear other voices, but the voices belong to the people in the conversation (if that makes sense). Not sure if this is normal either 🤷‍♀️

I agree with other posters, sleep deprivation can do all sorts.

Just wanted to update: hasn't happened again so I think it may have just been a mix of the sleep hallucinations some posters mentioned and also sleep deprivation!

Also thank you to PP who mentioned the sleep regression thread! So nice to see I'm not alone in this hell hahah!

I always have a monologue going inside my head, sometimes it spills over to talking to myself. I think perhaps you were in that no man's land between wake and sleep but if it continues maybe talk to the doc about it x

I assumed everyone talked to themselves inside their head. Don't they?
I wonder how people who have never learned to speak do this.

helterskelters
Could you coherently understand what the other voices were saying? Sometimes when I'm drifting off i hear what I describe as a flurry of voices almost like my brain is processing everything from a long day. It feels they get louder until i consciously register them and then they instantly stop, I can't actually hear/understand what is being said or if i do it'll be totally random things that people have probably said during the day, is it anything like that?
I get this too. These are hypnagogic hallucinations and also normal

I get this and i now feel at ease that there's a name for it