ADVANCE Perspective: SLEEP

Published June 24, 2010 12:33 PM by Vern Enge

In your sleep lab on a daily basis, you are probably most comfortable detecting obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and parasomnias like sleepwalking and sleep eating.
You are an expert at titrating CPAP equipment to make sure your patients can get a good night’s sleep.

But how comfortable are you at discussing embarrassing topics like sleep sex, a.k.a. sexsomnia? This is a sleep disorder possibly more common than one might expect. One study earlier this year found 7.6 percent of 832 respondents in one sleep clinic survey admitted they had initiated sexual activity with a partner while asleep and had no recollection of it. They discovered their involuntary actions only when told by their bed partners.

Three of four people self-reporting sleep sex are males, according to health reporter Jenifer Goodwin.

Having sex while asleep is listed as a common complaint of patients