Sleep sex, or sexsomnia, is a condition in which a person will do sexual acts while still asleep, acts such as masturbation, fondling themselves or others, having sex with another person and in more extreme cases sexual assault and rape.
Sexsomnia is considered a type of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnia. Most people who suffer from sexsomnia also sleepwalk (ICSD 2). Sexsomniacs do not remember the acts they perform while they're asleep.
Sexsomnia can co-occur alongside 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.[1][2] Sleep related epilepsy may be associated with sexual arousal, pelvic thrusting and orgasms, though in these sorts of cases the acts are often remembered.[2] Sexsomnia episodes could be triggered by physical contact with a bed partner.[3]
Sleep sex has been used as a criminal defense in rape cases.[4][2] Several cases of sexsomnia have appeared in the news and as a theme in fiction.
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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).[5] 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.[6] The first doctor to coin the term "sleep sex" was Dr. David Saul Rosenfeld, a neurologist and sleep doctor from Los Angeles, California. The term 'sexsomnia' was coined by Dr. Colin Shapiro in 2003.
Sleep sex may accompany relationship difficulties and feelings of embarrassment.[7] Often the actions of the person who has sexsomnia are reported by his or her partner as the sexsomniacs are unaware of the event.[7] To verify the diagnosis it is possible to do a polysomnography.[7]
In some cases, sufferers are aware of their behavior for a long time before they seek help, often because they lack information[8] 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. There 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 may 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.
Clonazepam has been used as a first line of treatment for this condition,[9][10] when other measures are not enough to solve a distressing case of sexsomnia.
Natalie Pona, the then Sun reporter, broke the first press story 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.[11] The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal on 7 February 2008.[12]
In Britain, a man from York was cleared of three counts of rape on 19 December 2005.[13]
In Australia, a woman was reported as leaving her house at night and having sex with strangers while sleepwalking.[14]
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.[15]
On 12 February 2010, an Australian man was found not guilty of rape due to sexsomnia.[16] This similarly happened to a Welsh man on 4 July 2011.[17]
A case of this disorder is found in the episode "Role Model" of the television series House (Season 1 Episode 17).
An episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (season 9, episode 2, aired on 2 October 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.
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 3 October 2010) Gaby pretends she has sexsomnia to explain why her daughter is not her husband's biological daughter.