Sexsomnia: abnormal sexual behavior during sleep.
This review attempts to assemble the characteristics of a distinct variant of sleepwalking called sexsomnia/sleepsex from the seemingly scarce literature into a coherent theoretical framework. Common features of sexsomnia include sexual arousal with autonomic activation (e.g. nocturnal erection, vaginal lubrication, nocturnal emission, dream orgasms). Somnambulistic sexual behavior and its clinical implications, the role of precipitating factors, diagnostic, treatment, and medico-legal issues are also reviewed. The characteristics of several individuals described in literature including their family/personal history of parasomnia as well as the abnormal behaviors occurring during sleep are reported.
Andersen
Monica L
ML
Department of Psychobiology - Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, SP, Brazil. mandersen@psicobio.epm.br
Poyares
Dalva
D
Alves
Rosana S C
RS
Skomro
Robert
R
Tufik
Sergio
S
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005835:Genitalia / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D020447:Parasomnias / Q000523:psychology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology*