Do You Know About Sleepsex?

I'm interested in unusual topics--especially medically-unusual things: Diseases, disorders, syndromes--almost anything along those lines. I came across 'sleepsex' and remembered something I'd read several years ago that had stuck in my mind, and I wondered if this topic had anything to do with that article. Here is what I learned. Kind of interesting to me, how about you? Have you heard of this before?

Explaining Sleepsex

There is no particular diagnosis for sleepsex; however, it has just recently been included as a sleep disorder in the new, revised edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD).

Some experts think that sleepsex is a variant of sleepwalking--a diagnosable and treatable disorder. It's been reported that touching and fondling a bed partner's genitalia is common in both heterosexual and homosexual orientations, along with intercourse, and masturbation during sleepsex. Oral and anal sex is less common but have also been reported--and all this is happening while the instigator is soundly sleeping!

Sleepsex is not necessarily always problematic. Many people report that they happily incorporate it into their normal sex lives and believe it happens because of strong sex appeal and say it is an extreme turn on for them.

In some cases, however, it can be very disturbing. The dark side of sleepsex can be violent, and many women experience sleepsex as rape-like and frightening. They are violently forced to have intercourse by unconscious boyfriends, husbands and male friends who are almost always impossible to awaken.

As bizarre as this may sound, there are probably millions of sleepers (most are women) who are are yanked and mauled into consciousness by groping, moaning and sexually aggressive behavior of others (mostly men) who are dead asleep. Many women end up calling 9-1-1 because of violent attacks that are not remembered by the aggressor in the morning.

During sleepsex episodes, it is common for both men and women's sexual demeanor to be more dominant than during awake sex. Both men and women on the receiving end report that in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion, their usually gentle partners become aggressive and often violent.

In one documented criminal case of sleepsex, a normal, healthy, 45 year-old male awoke to the screams of a 14 year-old girl--a friend of his daughter--who was spending the night at his home. Evidently, he had gone to bed as usual. Later, while asleep, he had walked downstairs to where the two girls were sleeping. He then began fondling his daughter's young friend. She woke up and began screaming. The police were called and he was forced to explain his behavior to them. He was arrested and charges of sexual battery were leveled against him. At the time he was happily married and had no history of sexual misconduct. While both he and his spouse believed he had been sleepwalking, his attorney advised him to forget about the claim of sleepwalking because a jury would never believe it . (Rosenfeld ; Elhajjar, 1998).

Like other sleep disorders, sleepsex seems to occur predominantly among males--possibly for hormonal reasons. Also, some studies suggest undefined emotional problems to be the cause of sleepsex episodes.

Individuals with problematic sleepsex should seek professional help. In general, sleepsex can be managed by avoiding event-precipitating factors such as drugs, alcohol, sleep deprivation and stress. Sleepsex may also be managed by psychotherapy, pharmacological treatment (medications) and dealing with specific sleep problems such as sleep apnea.

Some other methods of controlling the problem includes sleeping in separate beds or apart from others so that their chances of coming into contact with potential victims are reduced. Sleepsex recipients who have thought to shout 'stop' or 'get off' report that this method works fairly well in some cases.

If you are a victim of sleepsex, especially if it is disturbing to you or others, help is available. Do not be embarrassed to discuss this with your physician. You are not alone. Millions of individuals suffer from sleepsex.