'Sexsomniacs' Puzzle Medical Researchers

Researchers in London are working to understand a rare medical condition where sufferers unknowingly demand, or actually have, sex while they are asleep.

Sexsomnia is known as 'making sexual advances toward another person while asleep'. Study into the topic has been slow as sufferers are so embarrassed by the problem they tend not to own up to it, while doctors do not ask about it.

And as yet there is no cure for the condition.

"It really bothers me that I can't control it", says one woman interviewed for the study. "It scares me because I don't think it has anything to do with the partner. I don't want this foolish condition to hurt us in the long run".

Researchers say sexsomnia is a variant of sleepwalking, where sufferers are stuck between sleep and wakefulness, though sexsomniacs tend to stay in bed rather than get up and walk about.

"Most of the time sleep sex occurs between people who are already partners", a sleep specialist says. "Sometimes they hate it... sometimes they tolerate it. On rare occasions you have stories of people liking it better than waking sex".

With no cure, or triggering factors, researchers say it will take some time to learn more on sexsomnia but they are working on a procedure for diagnosis in cases where sufferers have been accused of sexual assault.

 � Copyright 2004-2015 The News Vault. All rights reserved.