Sexsomnia, also known as sleep sex, is a type of sleep disorder known as a parasomnia. Parasomnias refer to unusual sensations and behaviors, such as sleepwalking, that people may experience or exhibit while asleep, falling asleep, or waking up. In the case of sexsomnia, people engage in sexual behaviors.
One cause of “sexomnia” is a sleep-related epilepsy that can cause a person to experience sexual arousal, pelvic thrusting and orgasms. Sexsomnia episodes may be triggered by physical contact with a bed partner. It is considered a type of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) parasomnia.
Causes of sexsomnia
Sexsomnia can co-occur alongside other sleep disorders such as sleepwalking, sleep apnoea, night terrors and bedwetting. It may be triggered by: depression, stress and anxiety. previous sleep deprivation.
Catathrenia also differs from regular snoring because it comes from the larynx, rather than the throat. The groaning or moaning sounds from catathrenia usually lasts between two seconds and 49 seconds. These moans primarily occur during REM sleep.
It's an actual sleep disorder
It's much more complex than that. This disorder is very real, and so is its impact on those who live with it and their partners. Sexsomnia is categorized as an NREM sleep arousal disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5).
For people whose sexsomnia is related to another parasomnia, being prescribed a benzodiazepine may be helpful. Sexsomnia associated with other sleep disorders is usually relieved by treating the underlying problem, such as the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine or a mandibular advancement device.
Oral breathing is a common phenomenon of patients with OSA patients during sleep, happening more frequently right before and after events of apnea and hypopnea. An event of apnea or hypopnea is usually accompanied by a deep and long oral breathe, most likely because the patient tries to make up for oxygen depletion.
Tactile Hallucinations
Tactile hallucination is the experience of feeling like you're being touched when you're not. It's one of the most common aspects of sleep paralysis. Many people say they feel pressure or contact. It's like something or someone is holding them down.
They are also likely to have no memory of this behavior when they're fully awake. However, a good old wet dream — that simply arouses one and may induce an orgasm in their sleep, but doesn't prompt any sexual behavior — isn't a sign of sexsomnia.
REM sleep behavior disorder can manifest as small muscle twitches and quiet sleep talking to loud shouting, punching, kicking, grabbing their bed partner, and jumping out of bed. Interestingly, the dreams associated with REM sleep behavior disorder are often intense and frightening.
Progress to practicing intercourse with a partner. Use same basic principles you've developed with the steps above. When aware of sensations indicating you are close to orgasm, stop moving or thrusting. Pause and wait for sensations to decrease (it may be helpful to squeeze the base of your penis).
“Sleep sex or sexsomnia is a form of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnia, similar to sleepwalking, that causes people to engage in sexual acts such as masturbation, fondling, intercourse, and sometimes rape while they are asleep,” says Robert Oexman, DC, director of the Sleep to Live Institute in Joplin, Mo.
Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy. Open Access
Somnophiliacs comes under the classification of predatory paraphilias. People who have somnophilia may not wish to cause harm or force violence on someone but they receive sexual arousal and orgasm by intruding on and touching or fondling a sleeping person.
Common symptoms of sleep paralysis are the feeling that you're not able to move or speak, the presence of something or someone else in the room, hearing noises or voices that aren't there, or feeling like someone is touching you.
Parasomnias are a sub-category of sleep disorder. They involve abnormal and unnatural movements, behaviours, emotions, perceptions and dreams that occur while falling asleep, during sleep, between sleep stages or upon waking. Most people experience a parasomnia during their lifetime.
The optimum sleeping orientation, according to old beliefs such as Vastu Shastra, is south. This implies when you lay down in bed, your skull is pointing south and your feet are pointing north. Sleeping with your head towards the east is also useful. Sleeping in the south or east leads to happiness and fortune.
Whilst most people are familiar with sleepwalking – sexsomnia is largely misunderstood or not known about. Also known as a parasomnia, the condition can be sexually aggressive – which can lead to sexual abuse and even rape – which the accused will not remember at all. Sometimes referred to as sleep rape.
Most available research has found that sexsomnia episodes occur mostly during non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM), the dreamless, deepest stage of the sleep cycle.
Though 115 cases of sexsomnia have been reported in the literature,3,7–9 the condition is likely underreported. Sexsomnia generally manifests itself in males, with disease onset between 26 and 63 years of age.
In fact, a research study with 778 participants found that the physical and sexual intimacy caused by sleeping next to a partner triggers the release of a hormone known as oxytocin. 5 The authors of the study note that oxytocin not only promotes better sleep, but it also reduces stress and promotes bonding.
Most sexsomnia patients do not have any recall of the sexual episodes; in one study, 96 percent of patients reported complete amnesia for the episode.
Measured on a stopwatch, it takes an average of 5 to 7 minutes for a man to reach orgasm and ejaculate. But the overall range is wide, from less than one minute to over half an hour.
Humans have the longest, thickest, and most flexible penises of any living primate. The number of thrusts per sexual encounter ranges 10-500 over a span of 4-7 minutes before ejaculation.