What are the signs and symptoms of Sexsomnia?Treatment and management

You may have heard of different types of sleep disorders, such as sleepwalking (somnambulism), sleep talking, and even sleep driving. But have you ever heard of sleep sex, or sexsomnia? Sleep sex is a distinct form of parasomnia that is caused by a disruption while the brain is moving between deep sleep stages. It may be noted that sex sleep is different from sex dreams that do not involve physical actions or behaviours besides arousal and ejaculation.

People with sexsomnia engage in sexual behaviours while in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, ranging from masturbation to sexual intercourse. Sleep sex is a very real yet relatively new condition that takes place randomly during the night. A 2015 study published in the NeuroQuantlogy reported that only 94 cases of sexsomnia have been documented worldwide.

What are the signs and symptoms of Sexsomnia?
The problem with sleep sex is that people with the disorder may not realise that they have it. Hence, other people such as a partner, roommate, are the ones who first notice symptoms of the condition. Perhaps, dealing with the condition or a partner who has it can be difficult. Common signs and symptoms of sexsomnia include:


Fondling with bed partner
Masturbation
Sexual intercourse
Pelvic thrusting
Spontaneous orgasm
Blank or glassy stare during events
sexual assault or rape
What causes Sexsomnia?
It’s unclear what causes sexsomnia, however, sleep sex can be caused by or be linked to various factors, including sleep deprivation, poor sleep habits, increased stress, anxiety, fatigue, excessively drinking alcohol, certain medications, etc. While it’s not clear how common sexsomnia is, men were almost three times more likely to have this disorder than women.

Medical conditions that are associated with sexsomnia are restless leg syndrome, obstructive sleep apnoea, seizure disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Crohn’s disease, ulcers, head injuries, migraines, Parkinson’s disease, etc.

Treatment and management for Sexsomnia
Treatment is very successful when it comes to sexsomnia and mainly involves treating underlying causes, as well as lifestyle changes. Maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule is one of the best ways to treat this disorder.


Treating underlying conditions such as anxiety, depression, and stress that cause sleep disruption can help resolve symptoms of sexsomnia.

In most cases, treatment for sexsomnia involves making lifestyle changes, including adopting good sleep hygiene, avoiding triggers like alcohol and recreational drugs, etc.

Sometimes, sexsomnia can affect your personal relationships or put people in your life at risk. Therefore, it’s important to let your family and partner know of the diagnosis, and what they can do to help you deal with the condition.