Very careful! If you have any of these habits at night, know that you may be harming your health. Find out here which are the worst and how you can avoid them to improve your quality of life.
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07/08/2026
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Ainda couldn't catch an eye? Attention, this may not be a good indicator. However, what you do during sleep, even if it is unconsciously, can also reveal other concerns.
Sleep experts reveal to Huff Post some of the habits you should pay attention to.
Check what they are and what they mean.
Getting panting during sleep
Zeeshan Khan, director of the Deborah Heart and Lung Center Sleep Medicine Institute at Browns Mills, says that this may be one of the indicators of sleep apnea, that is, a sleep disorder where breathing stops and starts again and again.
“ During sleep, the muscles relax and the throat narrows or closes”, he describes. For this reason, it relates this condition to other symptoms such as “snore, choke while sleeping and wake up with dry mouth and headache”.
“ When excessive mucus reaches the bottom of the throat, it can block the airways, causing people to temporarily stop breathing while sleeping,” adds Janice Johnston, co-founder and medical director of the U.S. health plan Redirect Health.
This moment can also be caused by “allergies, climate changes or common colds.”
Talk in your sleep
“ It is more frequent in people with mental illness and may be associated with sleepwalking and various types of nightmares,” says Zeeshan Khan. Other causes may include emotional stress, fevers, and misuse of substances.
“ These health conditions can lead to lower concentration, extreme mood swings or hallucinations,” Johnston points out.
“ If you know you speak when you are sleeping, it is not normal, it is a cause for alarm, so it is important to seek help from an expert.”
The origin of this problem, according to these experts, may be certain medicines, such as antidepressants or any other medicine that needs to be clinically adjusted.
Chronic nightmares
“ Persistent nightmares can be caused by several different psychological triggers, the most common being anxiety and depression. Changes in routine that interrupt or reduce the amount of sleep you have can also cause an increase in nightmares, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder”, they describe.
If this condition affects your daily life, the ideal is to seek specialized medical help, since “chronic nightmares can cause extremely adverse health effects such as increased risk of suicide, heart disease and obesity”, Johnston adds.