Sexsomnia: Australian woman reveals her husband has sex with her in his sleep

‘My husband has sex with me in his sleep’: Woman shares her ’embarrassing’ confession about her partner – but she’s not alone

An Aussie woman has revealed her husband initiates sex whilst he is asleep
The man has a rare sleep disorder called ‘sexsomnia’, often called ‘sleep sex’
The couple were confused at the start but now enjoy the unusual sex condition
Often the man won’t wake up during sex and won’t remember it in the morning
It’s estimated up to eight per cent of people suffer from this rare condition

By Sophie Finn For Daily Mail Australia

An Australian woman has revealed that her husband has sex with her while he is sleeping.

Nick* suffers from sexsomnia’ – a rare sleep condition that causes him to initiate sex or sexual activities while asleep and not remember it the next morning.

His wife Rachel* said this has occurred at least once a month for the last few years, however she said it gets so ‘passionate’ he often wakes up and it has become a healthy part of their sex life.

An Australian woman opened up about the rare sleep condition her husband has that causes him to initiate sexual activity with her while he is asleep (stock image)

Rachel recounted the first time she witnessed sexsomnia on a recent Body and Soul podcast.

‘I was fast asleep, I thought he was fast asleep and all of a sudden he started to get a little bit handsy with me,’ she told the podcast.

‘I tried to talk to him and be like “what’s going on” because I’m obviously fast asleep and he didn’t respond, and I then realised he was unconscious, when I mentioned to him the next morning he had no recollection of it whatsoever.’

Sexsomnia: The facts

* Sexsomnia is a sleep disorder known as parasomnia, a condition referring to unusual behaviour whilst asleep such as sleepwalking.

* The condition causes people to engage in sexual behaviours whilst asleep, including masturbation, sexual movements, initiating sex and sexual aggression.

* Sufferers are completely asleep during the experience and generally can’t remember it the next morning.

Symptoms:

* Masturbation

* Fondling

* Sexual noises

* Sexual movements

* Initiating sexual activities

* Sexual aggression

* Sexual assault

Triggers:

* Drugs and alcohol

* Stress, anxiety and depression

* Sleep deprivation

Causes:

* Parasomnias such as sleepwalking disorder and REM sleep behaviour disorder

* Obstructive sleep apnea

* Kleine-Levin syndrome

* Chronic insomnia

* Restless legs syndrome

* Narcolepsy

* Persistent sexual arousal syndrome

* Sleep-related dissociative disorders

* Nocturnal psychotic disorders

* Teeth grinding

(Source: sleepfoundation.org)

Experiencing sexsomnia with a loved one can be unnerving as the sufferer may have their eyes open and seem awake but they are actually completely asleep.

However Rachel said she and Nick have got used to his sexsomnia and now it’s actually become a positive habit for them.

‘If we’re both in the mood then what’s the harm?’ she laughed, explaining that the couple now think it’s funny.

The woman said her husband has a ‘6 out of 10 success rate’ and generally wakes up he does kind of wake up when the sex becomes more passionate.

Rachel said Nick’s sleep disorder has added to their sex life and the couple joke about the unusual habit, however others struggle with it due to issues of consent (stock image)

Sexsomnia is part of the parasomnia sleep disorder category which includes sleep walking, and it’s estimated eight per cent of people experience the rare disorder.

The disorder can be triggered by sleep deprivation, drugs, alcohol, stress and depression.

Although this couple are happy with the effect it has had on their relationship many people who suffer with the condition have taken to online forums to explain how awkward ‘navigating’ the condition can be in a new relationship and the issues it raises regarding consent.

* Names have been changed

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