Sleep sex or
sexsomnia is a form of non-rapid
eye movement (
NREM)
parasomnia (similar to sleepwalking) that causes people to engage in sexual acts while they are asleep, such as
masturbation,
fondling,
sexual intercourse and actions that would be
sexual assault or
rape were the sufferer conscious. The proposed medical diagnosis is NREM Arousal Parasomnia - Sexual Behaviour in Sleep, and is considered to be a distinct variant of sleepwalking (ICSD 2). There are often unpleasant consequences associated with sleep sex and it has been used as a criminal defense in rape cases. Other negative effects include feelings of shame and embarrassment and also can cause relationship issue and stress.
Those who suffer from sexsomnia have confusional arousals and rarely remember the event.
People who have a history of doing other sleep activities such as sleepwalking or sleep talking are more likely to exhibit sexsomnia episodes. Factors that may increase episodes of sleep sex are alcohol, sleep deprivation or even sleep apnea and other sleep disruptions. Sexsomnia episodes could be triggered by the contact with bed partner.
In some cases sexualised movements during sleep could be caused by sleep related epilepsy which results in sexual arousal, thrusting and orgasms. Simple sexualised movements could be also associated with REM sleep disorders.
If rape has been committed, it can be psychologically and physically devastating to the individual.
There have been reports of men injuring themselves during sadistic masturbation acts or humping metal or brick walls. Sexsomnia is a disorder that affects males and females. Isolated reports exist about women who have had sex with strangers during the sleep period; in cases where memory of the sexual act is not retained, the detection of used condoms and semen stains on the bed the morning after the sexual incident are signs of the affliction.
Sexsomnia can occur with other sleep disorders such as sleepwalking, sleep apnea, night terrors and bedwetting and can be triggered by stress, previous sleep deprivation and excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Diagnosis
Sleep sex often goes undiagnosed because of feelings of shame or embarrassment. When it is reported it is usually by a sleep partner of someone who has sexsomnia. Then to verify the diagnosis,
polysomnography is done during a night in a sleep lab, which confirms whether the patient is truly asleep while performing these sexual acts. Also, the diagnosis of sleep sex is difficult because most people do not come forward with their nocturnal activities as they are unaware of it. The majority of cases come to light only after criminal charges have been filed.
Treatment
Clonazepam has been used as a first line of treatment for this condition.
History of Sleep Sex
The first research paper that suggested that sexual behavior during sleep may be a new type of parasomnia was published in 1996 by three researchers from the
University of Toronto (Dr. Colin Shapiro and Dr. Nik Trajanovic) and the
University of Ottawa (Dr. Paul Fedoroff)
. Later, several papers were published describing the problem and suggested that problematic forms of sleep sex are medically treatable "conditions" (see
external links). The condition was defined in a paper called "Sexsomnia — A New Parasomnia?" published in the
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry in June 2003. The first doctor to coin the term "sleep sex" was Dr. David Saul Rosenfeld, a neurologist and sleep doctor from Los Angeles, California.
In some cases, sufferers are aware of their behaviour for a long time before they seek help, often because they lack information that it is a medical disorder or for fear that others will judge it as willful behaviour rather than a medical condition. However, the reality of sexsomnia has been confirmed by sleep disorder researchers who have made polygraphic and video recordings of patients with the condition while they are asleep and observed unusual brain wave activity during the episodes similar to that experienced in other NREM arousal parasomnias. It is a mind/body disconnect that occurs during sleep. The treatment has commonalities with other NREM parasomnias, and also involves specific interventions. By avoiding precipitating factors and ensuring a safe environment, the condition could be brought to a high level of control with minimal effort.
Sexsomnia is not always problematic or extreme for those who experience it or for their partners. There is a great variety in both the frequency and levels to which people are affected by this disorder.
Cases reported in the press
Natalie Pona, the then Sun reporter, broke the story of the first case of sexsomnia in the fall of 2005. On 30 November 2005, a
Toronto court acquitted a man of
sexual assault after he was diagnosed with sleep sex disorder, although prosecutors filed an appeal of the acquittal in February 2006. The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal on 7 February 2008.
In Britain, a man from York was cleared of three counts of rape on 19 December 2005.
In Australia, a woman was reported as leaving her house at night and having sex with strangers while sleepwalking.
On 8 August 2007, a British RAF mechanic was cleared of a rape charge after the jury found him not responsible for his actions when he had sex with a 15-year-old girl.
On 23 March 2009, a British woman gave an interview in which she spoke about problems in her life caused by sexsomnia.
On 12 February 2010, an Australian man was found not guilty of rape due to sexsomnia.
Fictional cases
A case of this disorder is found in the episode "
Role Model" of the television series
House (Season 1 Episode 17).
An episode of (season 9, episode 2, aired on October 2, 2007) called "Avatar" featured a suspect with this disorder.
In Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man, a farmer claims to have had sex with his daughter while asleep (the novel was written in 1953, decades before the condition was described).
In the play Yakish and Popcha by Hanoch Levin, Yakish only manages to have intercourse with his wife Popcha while both are asleep, by the end of the play.
In an episode of Desperate Housewives (aired October 3, 2010) Gaby pretends she has sexsomnia to explain why her daughter is not her husband's biological daughter.
See also
Somnambulism (Sleepwalking)
Somniloquy (sleep-talking)
Sleep paralysis
REM sleep
Rapid eye movement behavior disorder
Dream
References
Mangan, M., & Reips, U.-D. (2007). Sleep, sex, and the Web: Surveying the difficult-to-reach clinical population suffering from sexsomnia. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 233-236.
External links
First description of Sexual Behaviour in Sleep (1996)
Stanford Sleep Experts Treat Medical Condition Behind Violent "Sleep Sex"
Sleepwalkers who have "sex sleep" – BBC
A phenomenology of problematic sexual behavior occurring in sleep – science article from Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire; involves Internet sources
"Sleep and Sex: What Can Go Wrong? A Review of the Literature on Sleep Related Disorders and Abnormal Sexual Behaviors and Experiences" From the journal Sleep.
"Sleepsex.org: A Resource of Information for those Affected, Directly and Indirectly by SBS"
Category:Human sexuality
Category:Parasomnias
