Thousands of 'sexsomniacs' suffering in silence, say profs
Was your partner actually awake, or sleep-shagging?
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Large numbers of people may be suffering in silence from the terrible condition of "sexsomnia" - somewhat like sleepwalking, but instead of wandering around the sufferer attempts to have sex with people.
According to results announced at a recent conference for sleep scientists, some 7.6 per cent of patients being treated for snooze-related disorders "reported that they had initiated or engaged in sexual activity with a bed partner while asleep".
"There have been no previous studies of how frequently sexsomnia occurs," said Sharon A Chung of the Sleep Research Laboratory in Toronto. "While our finding of eight percent of people reporting sexsomnia seems really a high number, it should be stressed that we only studied patients referred to a sleep clinic. So, we would expect the numbers to be much lower in the general population."
While happy to report sleep-shagging on a questionnaire, it seems that sexsomnia sufferers were much more reluctant to discuss their snoozy shenanigans face-to-face with a doc.
Chung noted that only four of 832 patients expressed a complaint about sexsomnia during a consultation with a sleep specialist.
"It seems that patients generally don't discuss this with their doctors," she said.
Readers may or may not be surprised to note that sleep-rogering is far more common in men (11 per cent) than women (four per cent). Sexsomniacs are also twice as likely as average to admit to illicit drug use, though there appears to be no link to smoking or caffeine.
A vast pdf collating all the SLEEP 2010 research (not just the sexsomnia) can be viewed here. ®
COMMENTS
Now you know
... why the dog stopped sleeping at the foot of your bed.
Reminded me of an old joke.
Three friends go to a hotel but there aren’t enough rooms, so they have to share a bed.
In the middle of the night, the guy on the right wakes up and says: “I had this wild, vivid dream of getting a hand job!”
The guy on the left wakes up and unbelievably he’s had the same dream too.
Then the guy In the middle wakes up and says: “That’s funny, I just dreamed I was Skiing!“
Not so....!!!!!
I have bouts of sexomnia even when no-one else is there, and it's no laughing matter. My palms look like a yak's ears and I have one of the worlds largest biceps but only on one arm. I'm relieved this condition has finally been recognised by boffins who will now help convince it's medical and not repeated over enthusiastic acts of self pollution.........
PPppaarrissss.....
Oh no!!! NURSE...IT'S DONE IT AGAIN......
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