1335 Sexsomnia in a 24-Year-Old Male

Abstract Introduction Sexsomnia is a rare non-rapid eye movement type of parasomnia. Parasomnia refers to unusual sensations and behaviors, such as sleepwalking, that patients may experience or exhibit while asleep, falling asleep, and/or waking up. In the case of sexsomnia, people engage in sexual behaviors such as masturbation, sexual movements, sexual aggression, or initiating sex with another person. Though their eyes may be open and they may make sexual noises, they are asleep during these episodes and unaware of their behavior once they are awake. Through a study performed in 2010, only 7.6% of the 832 patients with sleep-related disorders had symptoms related to sexsomnia. It is found to be even more rare in the general population. Management of these rare cases are important for both patients and patient bedside partners in order to minimize potential harms. Report of case(s) 24-year-old male presented to a Sleep Clinic due to problems observed by his wife while he was sleeping. The couple had recently married 1.5 years ago, at which time the patient’s wife had noticed him trying to initiate sexual intercourse a few times a week after falling asleep. The patient’s wife would wake him up, stopping the episode, but he never recalled his behavior. The wife stated the behavior was non-aggressive and would not be repeated once he was woken up. Once awoken he expressed confusion as to why his clothes were removed. He did not take prescription medications or over-the-counter medications. He drank alcohol on rare occasions and denied recreational drug use. He also denied recent stressors or trauma. However, the patient reported sexual abuse during childhood by a male family member that occurred for several years. He was currently undergoing counseling related to the sexual abuse. Conclusion After an in-lab sleep study showed no other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, he was started on Clonazepam 0.5mg before bed for the diagnosis of sexsomnia. Two months later, follow-up revealed significant improvement. The patient and his wife continued to sleep in the same bedroom. Per the patient’s wife, she had not been awoken from initiated sexual acts and he had been sleeping through-out the night. Support (if any)