by Darian Peters

Created on: July 25, 2007   Last Updated: June 28, 2009

Sexsomnia, or sleep sex, is a recently identified form of parasomnia. It is related to sleepwalking and involves the sufferer performs sexual acts during their sleep. These acts can range from sexual moaning to violent sexual advances. When told of their behaviour the next day people with the disorder often refuse to believe that they could possibly have behaved in such a manner.

The condition was first proposed in 1996 by researchers in Canada. Since then a growing body of research has led to sexsomnia having a diagnosis put forward that labels it Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Arousal Parasomnia Sexual Behaviour in Sleep. The NREM, refers to the fact that sexsomnia does not occur during the REM phase of sleep. Research has demonstrated the reality of the disease using polygraph tests and video recordings of the patients during sleep.

The symptoms of the disease can include any sexual behaviour. Some of this will, of course, be entirely harmless, with nobody else involved or affected by the behaviour. But in some cases it can involve the performance of sexual acts on another person, possibly even with violence. The sufferers may have the condition for some time before they come forward to seek help. Not surprisingly, given that in the past, before it became a recognised condition they would have been considered sex offenders, willingly committing sexual crimes.

The disorder is thought to be a precursor to neuromuscular disease, which perhaps hints at the possible underlying causes although it is still a little understood condition. Recent research suggests that brain wave glitches during sleep may be the problem. Although this research is still at an early stage it at least seems to imply that there is a medical cause for the disorder rather than a psychological cause. Some of the research into sexsomnia has suggested that the condition is a medically treatable.

This worrying disorder also has a social cost. It is a very stigmatising and embarrassing condition for the patient to admit that he has. It has also been implicated in a number of rape cases around the world, as well. Sometimes there have been acquittals and sometimes convictions on the basis of this defence. This, in itself, could cause a problem for researchers who would like to use these people for research into the causes of the disorder. Some of these people may be genuine sufferers but some may simply be using the disorder as a defence strategy in court.

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