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Sexsomnia

MedGen UID:
1853257
•Concept ID:
C5872988
•
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Synonyms: Sexual behavior during sleep; Sexual behaviour during sleep
 
HPO: HP:5200294

Definition

Unintentional sexual behavior during sleep, such as masturbation, initiation of sex, or making sexual noises, is known as sexsomnia. Sexsomnia predominantly occurs during NREM sleep. [from HPO]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVSexsomnia

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Understanding Sexual Parasomnias: A Review of the Current Literature on Their Nature, Diagnosis, Impacts, and Management.
Andersen ML, Schenck CH, Tufik S
Sleep Med Clin 2024 Mar;19(1):21-41. Epub 2023 Dec 1 doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2023.10.002. PMID: 38368067
Do the EEG and behavioral criteria of NREM arousal disorders apply to sexsomnia?
Rossi J, Gales A, Attali V, Leu-Semenescu S, Dodet P, Groos E, Arnulf I
Sleep 2023 Jul 11;46(7) doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsad056. PMID: 36866491

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Behavioral and psychological treatments for NREM parasomnias: A systematic review.
Mundt JM, Schuiling MD, Warlick C, Dietch JR, Wescott AB, Hagenaars M, Furst A, Khorramdel K, Baron KG
Sleep Med 2023 Nov;111:36-53. Epub 2023 Sep 6 doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.004. PMID: 37716336Free PMC Article
Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sexsomnia and other disorders of arousal: the old and the new.
Idir Y, Oudiette D, Arnulf I
J Sleep Res 2022 Aug;31(4):e13596. Epub 2022 Apr 6 doi: 10.1111/jsr.13596. PMID: 35388549
Forensic Evaluation of Sexsomnia.
Holoyda BJ, Sorrentino RM, Mohebbi A, Fernando AT, Friedman SH
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 2021 Jun;49(2):202-210. Epub 2021 Feb 12 doi: 10.29158/JAAPL.200077-20. PMID: 33579735
Clinical neurophysiology of NREM parasomnias.
Rodriguez CL, Foldvary-Schaefer N
Handb Clin Neurol 2019;161:397-410. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64142-7.00063-1. PMID: 31307616
Blaming rape on sleep: A psychoanalytic intervention.
McRae L
Int J Law Psychiatry 2019 Jan-Feb;62:135-147. Epub 2018 Dec 24 doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.12.004. PMID: 30616848

Diagnosis

Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sexsomnia and other disorders of arousal: the old and the new.
Idir Y, Oudiette D, Arnulf I
J Sleep Res 2022 Aug;31(4):e13596. Epub 2022 Apr 6 doi: 10.1111/jsr.13596. PMID: 35388549
NonREM Disorders of Arousal and Related Parasomnias: an Updated Review.
Irfan M, Schenck CH, Howell MJ
Neurotherapeutics 2021 Jan;18(1):124-139. Epub 2021 Feb 1 doi: 10.1007/s13311-021-01011-y. PMID: 33527254Free PMC Article
Clinical neurophysiology of NREM parasomnias.
Rodriguez CL, Foldvary-Schaefer N
Handb Clin Neurol 2019;161:397-410. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64142-7.00063-1. PMID: 31307616
Sexsomnia as a Defense in Repeated Sex Crimes.
Mohebbi A, Holoyda BJ, Newman WJ
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 2018 Mar;46(1):78-85. PMID: 29618539
The reality of sexsomnia.
Muza R, Lawrence M, Drakatos P
Curr Opin Pulm Med 2016 Nov;22(6):576-82. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000321. PMID: 27607155

Therapy

Resolution of sexsomnia with paroxetine.
Kumar V, Grbach VX, Castriotta RJ
J Clin Sleep Med 2020 Jul 15;16(7):1213-1214. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.8478. PMID: 32672534Free PMC Article
Sleep-Related Orgasms in a 57-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report.
Irfan M, Schenck CH
J Clin Sleep Med 2018 Jan 15;14(1):141-144. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6902. PMID: 29246268Free PMC Article
Parasomnia Overlap Disorder with Sexual Behaviors during Sleep in a Patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Soca R, Keenan JC, Schenck CH
J Clin Sleep Med 2016 Aug 15;12(8):1189-91. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6066. PMID: 27166304Free PMC Article
Sexsomnia: an uncommon variety of parasomnia.
Béjot Y, Juenet N, Garrouty R, Maltaverne D, Nicolleau L, Giroud M, Didi-Roy R
Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2010 Jan;112(1):72-5. Epub 2009 Sep 17 doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2009.08.026. PMID: 19765888
Sexsomnia--a new parasomnia?
Shapiro CM, Trajanovic NN, Fedoroff JP
Can J Psychiatry 2003 Jun;48(5):311-7. doi: 10.1177/070674370304800506. PMID: 12866336

Prognosis

Parasomnias in patients with addictions-a systematic review.
Jiménez-Correa U, Santana-Miranda R, Barrera-Medina A, Martínez-Núñez JM, Marín-Agudelo HA, Poblano A, Schenck CH, Hernández-Berber I
CNS Spectr 2022 Feb;27(1):58-65. Epub 2020 Oct 23 doi: 10.1017/S1092852920001911. PMID: 33092679
A Review of Sleep-Related Violence: The Demographics of Sleep Forensics Referrals to a Single Center.
Cramer Bornemann MA, Schenck CH, Mahowald MW
Chest 2019 May;155(5):1059-1066. Epub 2018 Nov 23 doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2018.11.010. PMID: 30472024

Clinical prediction guides

Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sexsomnia and other disorders of arousal: the old and the new.
Idir Y, Oudiette D, Arnulf I
J Sleep Res 2022 Aug;31(4):e13596. Epub 2022 Apr 6 doi: 10.1111/jsr.13596. PMID: 35388549
Sexsomnia: A Specialized Non-REM Parasomnia?
Dubessy AL, Leu-Semenescu S, Attali V, Maranci JB, Arnulf I
Sleep 2017 Feb 1;40(2) doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsw043. PMID: 28364495
A scale for assessing the severity of arousal disorders.
Arnulf I, Zhang B, Uguccioni G, Flamand M, Noël de Fontréaux A, Leu-Semenescu S, Brion A
Sleep 2014 Jan 1;37(1):127-36. doi: 10.5665/sleep.3322. PMID: 24470702Free PMC Article
Sexsomnia: an uncommon variety of parasomnia.
Béjot Y, Juenet N, Garrouty R, Maltaverne D, Nicolleau L, Giroud M, Didi-Roy R
Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2010 Jan;112(1):72-5. Epub 2009 Sep 17 doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2009.08.026. PMID: 19765888

Recent systematic reviews

Behavioral and psychological treatments for NREM parasomnias: A systematic review.
Mundt JM, Schuiling MD, Warlick C, Dietch JR, Wescott AB, Hagenaars M, Furst A, Khorramdel K, Baron KG
Sleep Med 2023 Nov;111:36-53. Epub 2023 Sep 6 doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.004. PMID: 37716336Free PMC Article
Non-REM parasomnias: a scoping review of dreams and dreamlike mentation.
Longe O, Omodan A, Leschziner G, Rosenzweig I
Croat Med J 2022 Dec 31;63(6):525-535. doi: 10.3325/cmj.2022.63.525. PMID: 36597564Free PMC Article
Parasomnias in patients with addictions-a systematic review.
Jiménez-Correa U, Santana-Miranda R, Barrera-Medina A, Martínez-Núñez JM, Marín-Agudelo HA, Poblano A, Schenck CH, Hernández-Berber I
CNS Spectr 2022 Feb;27(1):58-65. Epub 2020 Oct 23 doi: 10.1017/S1092852920001911. PMID: 33092679
Sleep-related violence and sexual behavior in sleep: a systematic review of medical-legal case reports.
Ingravallo F, Poli F, Gilmore EV, Pizza F, Vignatelli L, Schenck CH, Plazzi G
J Clin Sleep Med 2014 Aug 15;10(8):927-35. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.3976. PMID: 25126042Free PMC Article

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