10 Facts About Sexsomnia: Sexual Intercourse During Sleep

10 Facts About Sexsomnia: Sexual Intercourse During Sleep

We're no strangers to bizarre sexual phenomenon, but this one is a mystery that had us truly baffled. While most of us are dreaming sweet dreams, and letting out bodies enjoy a good rest, others are suffering from a terrible sleep sex condition. Okay, so it doesn't sound that bad when we put it like that, but what if we told you there were people who were literally having sex by accident, with no memory of it in the morning? We can explain...

Known as 'sexsomnia' or sleep sex, this condition causes sufferers to engage in sexual activity while they're sleeping. As in, completely asleep, with no idea what's going on. While it may sound funny at first, this is a very real medical condition that often causes distress and embarrassment to the sufferer. Not to mention their surprised partners!

We hear a lot of people claim they "accidentally" had sex. Maybe they had one too many cocktails and went home with a rando - it wasn't their plan for the night, therefore, the events taking place are referred to as accidental. For those with sexsomnia, they genuinely do have sex by accident, often without any recollection of it ever happening.

There's really no definitive measure, but there are some conditions which may make people more susceptible to developing sexsomnia. People who sleepwalk or experience night terrors have a higher chance of suffering from sexsomnia, too. Doctors say that epilepsy can also cause sleep sex and other unusual sleeping patterns.

We get that being a sexsomniac could be confusing and stressful, but we can't help but feel bad for their partners, too. Sleeping people have woken up to their sexsomniac partners having sex with them, despite having never provided their consent. Of course, sufferers can't help what they do while sleeping, but it sounds pretty traumatic anyway!

Thankfully, sexsomnia is just like other parasomnias in the sense that it happens occasionally, and definitely not every night. The triggers for all parasomnias, including sleepwalking, appear to be alcohol, drugs, stress, and sleep deprivation. While sufferers aren't guaranteed to have an episode by engaging in one of the trigger behaviors, it's much more likely.

We've all heard the warnings to 'never wake a sleepwalker', as it could be dangerous. But this is a myth and they're actually more likely to encounter danger if you DON'T wake them up. Yes, they may be confused and disoriented, but it's better to snap them out of it. The same goes for sexsomnia - feel free to wake them up, especially if you don't want to have sex with them!

Sexsomnia is a relatively new disorder in terms of official medical acknowledgement. The condition was first published in 1996 by three Canadian researchers. Since it's documentation, some men have used the condition as a defense against rape charges, though it's not clear if they were genuinely experiencing sexsomnia or exploiting the condition for their own gain.

So, what does sexsomnia actually look like? Partners of sufferers describe them as usually having their eyes open, however, they are generally unblinking and unresponsive. Talking is also not uncommon, though we doubt the conversation is riveting. Sexsomniacs often feel confused, scared, and guilty about sleep sex, particularly if they wake up during the act

If sexsomniacs manage to make it through an entire sexual act and then continue sleeping, they are extremely unlikely to remember their actions when they wake up. Partners of sexsomniacs have sometimes engaged in sex, not realizing that their lover is actually sleeping. Imagine their shock the next day when they remember nothing!

Source: www.jellyshare.com