Youve likely heard of sleepwalking and sleeptalking, which belong to a family ofsleep disordersknown as parasomnia.
Theres also sexsomnia, which involves engaging in middle-of-the-night movements that are sexual in nature.
Even though youre asleep the entire time, your eyes may be open and seemingly alert.
Although the person is asleep, it can appear to others that they are awake, Kilkenny says.
Causes and Risk Factors of Sexsomnia
Reasons for why sexsomnia episodes occur are murky at best.
No one can explain exactly why, Kilkenny says.
Or, a health condition that disrupts yoursleepcould be to blame.
Youre also more at risk if you experience another parasomnia such as sleepwalking, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
There are also some lifestyle factors that can trigger sexsomnia episodes if you have the disorder.
How Is Sexsomnia Diagnosed?
If this happens to you, have that person write down what they saw.
This can get in the way of treatment.
Embarrassment may prevent many people from seeking help, Kilkenny says.
But it is possible to overcome sexsomnia.
In most cases, it will continue until the underlying cause is treated.
If a patients triggers are treated properly, symptoms may resolve over time, Sullivan says.
The doctor can help to develop a course of action to understand triggers.
From there, they can determine if theres a medical issue thats disrupting your sleep and causing sexsomnia.
They can then focus your treatment plan there.
it’s possible for you to also embrace lifestyle changes aimed at protecting your and your partners safety.
Finally, sexsomnia thats triggered by seizures can be treated with the anticonvulsant medications carbamazepines, according toprevious research.
It also may be helpful for anyone affected by sexsomnia, such as the persons partner.
Complications of Sexsomnia
One of the most common negative effects of sexsomnia is the embarrassment it causes.
They also feel the shame of the situation being exposed in their other relationships.
Its controversial, however, and precedent shows it thus far has rarely cleared someone from guilt.
Research and Statistics: Who Has Sexsomnia?
Its hard to say how many people experience sexsomnia.
However,researchfound nearly 8 percent of people at a sleep center exhibited signs of sexsomnia.
Take that with a grain of salt, however.
This number is misleading as it only accounts for observations during sleep studies, Sullivan says.
A majority of patients dont feel comfortable discussing their symptoms to obtain a proper diagnosis, Sullivan says.
Overall, sexsomnia is extremely rare.
These can include masturbation, thrusting, intercourse, or spontaneous orgasm.
Over-the-counter sleep aids may also be a factor.
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