Sexsomnia: Abnormal sexual behavior during sleep

This review attempts to assemble the characteristics of a distinct variant of sleepwalking called sexsomnia/sleepsex from the seemingly scarce literature into a coherent theoretical framework. Common features of sexsomnia include sexual arousal with autonomic activation (e.g. nocturnal erection, vaginal lubrication, nocturnal emission, dream orgasms). Somnambulistic sexual behavior and its clinical implications, the role of precipitating factors, diagnostic, treatment, and medico-legal issues are also reviewed. the characteristics of several individuals described in literature including their family/personal history of parasomnia. as well as the abnormal behaviors occurring during sleep are reported. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Dept Neurol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W0, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc