Things That Go Hump In The Night

This behavior is a controversial sleep disorder called "sexsomnia". Psychologist Michael Mangan, Ph.D. is well-known for his research on sleep disorders, in particular sexsomnia. His web site describes sexsomnia as "sexual behavior that occurs during sleep. Some people seem to enjoy it and view it with a sense of humor. However, it can be disturbing, annoying, embarrassing and is a potentially serious problem for some couples and individuals."

Two researchers who have studied sexsomnia include Colin M. Shapiro and Christian Guilleminault. Shapiro had studied eleven people who had engaged in sexual behavior while they were asleep. Two were women. Nine were men. In his paper that detailed his findings, "Sexsomnia A New Parasomnia", he wrote that sleep sex is another form of parasomnia. Parasomnias are "events that occur intermittently or episodically during the night. They may occur in any phase of sleep. Most parasomnias are characterized by partial arousals before, during, or after the event." Sleep sex ranges from loud moaning which disturbs other people to outright sexual assault. This disturbing behavior often accompanies abuse of alcohol and drugs, stress, and sleep deprivation.

Guilleminault conducted a similar study. His findings were published in the March/April issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Like the Shapiro study, the patients symptoms ranged from loud moaning to outright sexual assault. According to an article about the study published at the Talk About Sleep web site, "patients, like the Shapiro patients, had no recollection of their activities, since they were asleep. Guilleminault divided his patients into three categories annoying, behaviors that placed the patient at physical risk, and those patients who made unwanted and sometimes violent sexual advances on their bed partners while asleep."

Think this is impossible? It might not be. It was initially thought of as rare, but researchers studying the phenomenon believe now that it may be more common than initially thought.

Is sexsomnia for real, or is it a handy excuse to explain away rape and child sexual abuse? Dave Barry has mentioned using sexsomnia as a defense as a "baaaaad precedent" in his November 30, 2005 article entitled "Legal Defense Of The Week", referring to the Jan Luedecke case. Jan Luedecke, 33, was acquitted of sexual assault because the judge believed the defense's claim that Luedecke had engaged in the behavior while he was asleep. According to news reports, Leudecke met a woman at a party. Both had been drinking. She fell asleep on a couch. She had awakened to find Luedecke on top of her, trying to have sex with her. She shoved him off of her, and called the police. It was then that he claimed he had awakened. He said that he had no idea of what he had done until he went to the bathroom, and found a condom on his penis.

The judge heard testimony about sexsomnia, and fell for it. Luedecke was acquitted.

Richard Anderson, 33, was acquitted of child sexual abuse charges in 2005. He was accused of sexually assaulting two young girls. He also used the sexsomnia defense.

Adam Kieczykowski, 19, was acquitted of 18 counts of sexual abuse. He had entered dorm rooms at University of Massachusetts Amherst, and sexuall assaulted female students. He had also robbed some of them. His defense attorney, who was later named Attorney of the Year, claimed that Kieczykowski had been asleep the entire time. All seven hours of it. The jury bought it.

Not everyone gets away with it, though. Richard Anderson, 34, got three years probation for fondling two girls. One was eleven, and the other was thirteen. Their mother believed that Anderson had suffered from sexsomnia, but the court didn't buy it.

Factors that affect sexsomnia include alcohol and drug abuse, stress, other emotional problems, and fatigue. Properly treating these conditions have been shown to reduce incidents of sleep sex. Effective treatment included medications such as Valium and treatment used to help enable proper breathing. If sexsomnia is a valid sleep disorder, the people who suffer from it deserve proper medical treatment. However, it should not be used as an excuse for rape, sexual assault, or child sexual abuse. Using sexsomnia as a defense in such cases brings to mind the "Twinkie Defense" from years past.

Elizabeth Black lives with her husband and clowder of cats on the Massachusetts coast next to the ocean. She has written erotic fiction for Xodtica, Tit-Elation, and Scarlet Magazine. She has written articles about pop culture, sex, and relationships for Nuts4Chic and Bare Back Magazine. You may visit her 'at' her LiveJournal.