When Sleep Turns Intimate: Understanding Sexsomnia

A man in a foreign country revealed that his wife often moans in her sleep, a behavior she’s exhibited since 2005.

At times she would utter sexual phrases she never used in her daily life, and would not remember anything upon waking.

Additionally, the wife often called out the names of “other men,” causing the husband to doubt and feel betrayed, but she consistently denied any wrongdoing for nearly a decade. The wife sensed something was wrong when her 9-year-old son mentioned hearing his mother’s moans.

After consulting a medical expert, they realized the wife was suffering from sexsomnia, a sleeping disorder.

As the name suggests, sexsomnia, also referred to as sleep sex, is a sleep disorder where the individual engages in sexual activities while asleep. A psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota described it as a dangerous disorder similar to sleepwalking, which occurs most frequently during deep sleep.

The wife expressed great distress, embarrassment, and guilt upon hearing the diagnosis, stating, “I don’t remember anything.”

The symptoms of this disorder can reportedly be alleviated with medication. The wife was able to sleep for 6-7 hours without any recurrence of sexsomnia after taking the medication. A report in Norway in 2010 indicated that approximately 7% of people have experienced sexsomnia.