Scientists from Northwestern University in the US have found that psychotherapy or hypnosis can help relieve sexsomnia (sexual activity during sleep) or similar disorders. The research was published in the journal Sleep Medicine.
There are no uniform treatment recommendations for parasomnias, which are disorders in which a person sleepwalks, is sexually active, eats, or even drives. This is shown by an analysis of 72 scientific papers published from 1909 to 2023.
Some studies have shown the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, sleep hygiene, and scheduled waking shortly before the patient usually experiences a parasomnia attack.
Patients with parasomnia often have no or only vague memories of their nighttime behavior.
“I’ve seen people end up in the emergency room with cuts or scrapes from punching windows, mirrors, or walls. Some took pills in their sleep or ate so much they vomited the next morning,” said study author Jennifer Mundt, an assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “A colleague of mine had a patient who ate a piece of cheese in his sleep,” he said.
Scientists concluded that randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the most effective treatments and develop recommendations for treating parasomnias.
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