Sexsomnia or "sleep sex" usually involves another person who is unaware that the person is asleep and sometimes engage in sex willingly with them however, people who are simple sleeping next a person with this condition can end up being forced to have sex with them. People who have this will wake up in the middle of the night and find themselves having sex unknowingly and be ashamed, embarrassed, and tend to have difficulty keeping relationships. Men are more likely to try an have sex while women tend to masturbate and moan. This condition is apparently more common than previously believed to be. And even though it is said to be more common in children, the reason might be that adults are more sexual and therefore, not reported as often.
After hearing about this I was afraid that it will come to be used often as a fake excuse to not be sent to prison for rape but the article that I got my information from says that by using a Polysomnograph to measure brain waves, they can determine if a person is prone to episodes of sexsomnia.
There is still a lot about this new condition that is unknown but most say that this condition could be caused by stress as well as other triggers like: sleep deprivation, alcohol, and other drugs. Some say that even taking medication for other sleeping disorders like sleep apnea can cause someone to get sexsomnia. I hope that more research is done on this condition so that it isn't falsely diagnosed in sexual abuse cases.
Ok this was creepy but super interesting! I dont think ill appreciate being woken up in this manner. It would be hard to keep relationship if the partner doesn't tell his/her lover they have this condition. Then it would get a bit weird when you realize things are happening without your knowledge. I think I would sleep through it though, heavy sleeper:)
ReplyDeleteI actually found out about this in the awesome T.V. show Law & Order SVU. They had a case when a girls boyfriend snuck into her sisters room and started rapping her. When they caught him, he had no clue on how he got there or what he did. I thought it was a complete lie, but apparently it was surprisingly true. Now I agree with you, I feel that predators and other sexual offenders will use this as an excuse. I mean, some have so much time in their hands that once they're released, they can master psychological disorders such as the well known Multiple Personalities Disorder. Now it just seems that more and more disorders are coming out of the blue. What next?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic, at the beginning I did not understand the description of sexsomnia at all, but on the second time a got the concept. This is the first time I have heard about sexmonia and I agree with you that some people want to use it as a excuse for their crimes, like the people who declare they are mentally ill.
ReplyDeleteYes, my wife does this. In the past, she was a raped victim and was abused by some men in her wife. So yes, she has a deeper problem which she needs to go counseling for it. Masturbating is just a way to gain her control back, to gain pleasure to ease the pain that she had in the past but still haunts her now everyday even she denies or does not realize it. Masturbating is addictive and no one can tell for sure if this is a real case of sexsomnia or that she just fakes it to cover up. I'm going to counseling so I can deal with her masturbating by myself first and will try to convince her to go after. Will post more about my case. Take good care and keep loving each other.!!!
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