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The unusual sleeping disorder can be extremely challenging for sufferers

There are many different kinds of sleep disorders that can affect the way a person sleeps.

From not being able to sleep at all (insominia) or sleeping too much (hypersomnia), to very pronounced sleepwalking, each of these conditions can impact someone differently.

However, there is one disorder which might initially draw flippant comments from those who don't realise how much it can impact sufferers.

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On reflection however, it's easy to see just how very serious the condition could be.

It's called 'sexsomnia' or 'sleep sex', and can have profound effects on people who live with it, as well as their loved ones.

What is 'sexsomnia'?

Sexsomnia is a disorder affecting people while asleep. (Vincent Besnault / Getty)

The condition sees patients trying to initiate sex while completely asleep, and then having zero recollection of it when they wake up.

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It is part of a group of parasomnias or sleep disorders, which including sleepwalking, talking and eating among others.

Many people are not even aware that they have the condition until a partner tells them about it.

The symptoms include performing sexual actions, like masturbation or fondling, or making sexual noises while asleep.

It doesn't take long to realise how badly this could impact a person.

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In short, it can ruin lives.

Why can it be so dangerous?

Even in less complicated cases, patients can feel a sense of profound guilt and shame when they find out they had initiated sex with no recollection.

Dr. Carlos Schenck is a professor and senior staff psychiatrist at the Hennepin County Medical Center at the University of Minnesota, and specialises in parasomnias.

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Schenck told CNN: "They [patients] are really embarrassed, full of shame, very apologetic and totally miserable.

"There certainly can be legal consequences from the sexual behaviors, particularly with minors, and also with aggressive behaviors during sleep."

The condition can cause deep feelings of shame and guilt. (Rafa Elias / Getty)

He added: "There's a whole area of sleep forensics to deal with these issues.

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"They do very comprehensive evaluations, case histories, and interviews with relatives and others to sort out about whether it's an excuse or the real thing."

It's still small comfort if a patient who is genuinely living with the condition has already seen relationships collapse and lost jobs, as well as the feeling of guilt and shame.

"What is really disconcerting to these patients is they have total amnesia." Schenck said.

Can it be treated?

The short answer is yes, but it depends.

Sexsomnia can be the result of a range of underlying causes, and treating it successfully requires identifying this root cause as everyone has different triggers.

For example, it could be to do with stress, alcohol, or other problems.

Depending on this, treatment might include medication, lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol consumption, or reducing stress triggers.

It is also recommended to take safety precautions while undergoing treatment, such as sleeping in a separate room from your partner, or setting movement alarms.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

Topics: News, World News, Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships

The unusual sleeping disorder can be extremely challenging for sufferers, with people having no memory of what they did while asleep.

Bizarre sleep disorder called sexsomnia has people realizing how dangerous it can be  UNILADSleep Disorder Sexsomnia Can Have Legal Consequences  PEOPLESexsomnia: An embarrassing sleep disorder no one wants to talk about  AOLSexsomnia: What It Means & How To Get Treatment For It  Glam

Bizarre sleep disorder called sexsomnia has people realizing how dangerous it can be - UNILAD

Bizarre sleep disorder called sexsomnia has people realizing how dangerous it can be

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Mental Problem: Everyone likes to hear their own praise. People want the world to praise them, but those who are praised, their works are also like this. One who does good, praises him and one who does bad is evil. This is the rule of society, but no one is doing good work and if the world wants to praise him, then it does not happen. If someone does evil, then the mood becomes irritable, starts quarreling with the partner, considers himself the best, etc. If these symptoms are matching with someone's behavior, then they need to be alert. Actually, considering yourself to be the best and quarreling over hearing evil, it is a sign of mental disorder. It is called personality disorder in medical language. If it is not treated on time, the results can be fatal, let's know about this disease. Narcissist Personality Disorder Narcissism is a mental condition known as Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD). This disorder is one of many personality disorders. People suffering from this disease consider themselves to be the best. Such people pay more attention to themselves. Would like to hear your appreciation. They start having trouble building normal relationships. Such people are not even emotional for others. Just being self engrossed in himself, that is his priority. The disease takes hold like this Such people consider others small in front of themselves. When evil happens, they fall apart. Their confidence level goes down. They have a habit of hearing praise only from childhood. Such people are increasingly vulnerable to this disease. Depression and anxiety come together. treat like this
to meditate
assessing one's own good and evil
stop comparing with others
Don't think that there is only one in the world like you
Avoid over-praising yourself
see a doctor and get treatment
Read also: Covid Affected Children: Ladle is coughing again and again, has the virus weakened the lungs? read this report Myasthenia Gravis: What is Myasthenia Gravis? PK fame Arun Bali died due to thisCheck out below Health Tools-Calculate Your Body Mass Index ( BMI )Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator

Narcissistic People Suffer From Personality Disorder

People who reported getting regular uninterrupted sleep did better at sticking to their exercise and diet plans while trying to lose weight according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Associations Epidemiology Prevention Lifestyle amp Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023 The symposium presents the most recent findings in population-based health and wellness as well as their implications for a healthy lifestyle and cardiometabolic function

Study reveals how good sleep helps people stick with their physical activity, diet plans | Health

New Delhi: While Omicron is known to cause Covid re-infection, there is no strong evidence yet in the favour of a person being affected with the vaccine dodging strain again, said Indian health experts here on Monday. However, they also did not rule out such a possibility. An individual's immunity which has been primed by

Can a person be infected with Omicron twice? Here's what experts have to say

March 25, 2022 – A heart attack's impact on the brain may be more serious than previously understood. About 1 in 3 heart attack survivors showed significant mental decline in the days and months following their heart attack, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session. The findings suggest that increased attention to monitoring cognitive functioning after a heart attack is needed, researchers said.   "We found a very high prevalence of previously undiagnosed cognitive impairment among patients hospitalized due to myocardial infarction," said Dominika Kasprzak, MD, a cardiologist at J. Strus Hospital in Poznań, Poland, and the study's lead author. "This impairment can be both temporary and permanent, and some patients develop impairment after a delay of several months." The study assessed the mental functioning of 220 patients hospitalized for a heart attack in Poznań, Poland. Patients underwent two cognitive assessments a few days after their heart attack, and then, repeated the tests six months later. The two tests were the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clock Drawing Test, which assess a person's thinking, memory and ability to perform basic tasks and are commonly used to identify signs of dementia. The tests overall showed roughly 50% of patients had normal cognitive functioning at both time points, while the other half had some cognitive impairment. About 35-40% of patients showed cognitive impairment in the first days after their heart attack, while 27-33% showed impairment six months later. Of the patients who had some cognitive impairment shortly after their heart attack, the impairment was temporary in about half of cases and permanent for the other half. About 1 in 9 patients had normal cognitive functioning shortly after their heart attack but showed cognitive decline six months later. Cognitive deficits can impact a person's quality of life and make it more challenging to keep up with treatments and lifestyle changes intended to help prevent a second heart attack. As such, Kasprzak said it is important for cardiologists to be alert for signs of mental decline.   "Cognitive deficits, such as memory loss or not being able to recognize a loved one, can be even more important for our patients than their cardiovascular disease," Kasprzak said. "We need to monitor our patients regularly to detect changes in their functioning, not only in the heart but also in the brain." None of the study participants had a history of dementia or cognitive disorders before their heart attack. While the researchers did not attempt to identify the causes of the mental declines they observed, Kasprzak suggested that different drivers may be at work in the case of temporary effects versus permanent ones. For example, psychological stress and sleep disturbances around the time of a heart attack may contribute to temporary deficits, while permanent effects could indicate neurodegeneration or damage to the brain. For patients who experience delayed declines in the months after a heart attack, factors such as sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety could play a role. Given that study participants were relatively young—60 years old on average—Kasprzak said it is unlikely that normal age-related declines alone could explain the patients' high rate of cognitive impairment. However, age may amplify the effects. Patients who were older and those with blood markers indicative of more severe cardiovascular disease, were more likely to show permanent cognitive impairment.   The researchers are currently analyzing data from a larger follow-on study to further investigate cognitive trends following a heart attack and the drivers that contribute to these effects. The team also plans to develop a more efficient assessment tool that cardiologists could use to screen for cognitive deficits during routine follow-up visits.   Kasprzak will present the study, "Cognitive Impairment After Myocardial Infarction," on Sunday, April 3, at 11:30 a.m. ET / 15:30 UTC in Ischemic Heart Disease Moderated Poster Theater 6, Hall C. ACC.22 will take place April 2-4, 2022, in Washington, DC, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. For more information: www.acc.org Find more ACC22 content here

Heart Attack Survivors May be at Greater Risk of Mental Decline

The World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says <a href="https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---22-december-2021#:~:text=As%20we%20approach%20a%20new,forward%20to%202022%20in%20hope." target="_blank">"2022 must be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic"</a>. He is hopeful it will be because after two years, "we know the virus very well, and we have all the tools [to fight it]". Similarly, The Economist, in a recent article, wrote: <blockquote>"COVID is not done yet. But by 2023, it will no longer be a life-threatening disease. It will still pose a deadly danger to billions in the poor world, [but] will be well on the way to becoming just another disease".</blockquote> Whatever the answer is, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01616-y" target="_blank">2022 will be the year we finally have all the means</a>, measures, and tools to control the pandemic to a non-lethal state. Some 3.8 billion have had at least one COVID jab, and 2.8 billion are fully vaccinated. Together with those who have acquired the disease, half the world's population has had some level of immunity. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00396-2" target="_blank">Eventually, COVID-19 will become endemic</a>: the transmission will remain steady, following seasonal patterns, with fewer spikes in infection. In an ideal situation, the harm caused may end up somewhere between influenza, which <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/influenza-are-we-ready" target="_blank">kills an estimated 300,000 to 650,000 people annually</a>, and other coronaviruses, such as the common cold. <h2>Vaccine equity is a global problem</h2> But endemicity is still a long way off for many countries. The virus will continue to affect our lives and livelihoods unless the global community collectively addresses inequitable access to vaccines, therapeutic agents and diagnostics. If we don't address this quickly enough, our exit from the pandemic will be set back, possibly for months or years. <img alt="" class="img-responsive img-fluid" data-caption="" data-guid="2055989b-fda9-433b-9ebe-eb2fe0bb382a" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cognitives-s3/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto,w_1200/v1/cog-live/n/1271/2022/Jan/11/Re2fTCakXSpWczHBhRb0.jpg" style="max-width: 100% !important;"> Current vaccines by themselves are insufficient to stem transmission. Increases in cases should continue to be expected whenever public health and social measures are lifted, irrespective of vaccination coverage. Currently, we are giving the virus the room it needs to thrive through uneven and inconsistent national policies undermined by division and politics. Of the more than seven billion doses administered so far, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01616-y" target="_blank">less than 3% have been in countries on the African continent</a>. The failure to provide sufficient vaccine doses to low and middle-income countries is unethical and economically unwise. SARS-CoV-2 has shown its ability to better adapt to the human host, with variants Alpha and Delta demonstrating enhanced transmissibility throughout the pandemic. One of the biggest unknowns in 2022 will be how this evolution continues. Delta continues to evolve, and the Omicron variant has shown that the virus will continue to adapt. <img alt="" class="img-responsive img-fluid" data-caption="" data-guid="89ca1e9d-8f60-4271-829a-6778d7e3f866" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cognitives-s3/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto,w_1200/v1/cog-live/n/1271/2022/Jan/11/TQVXP19YPyP07DUimzQn.jpg" style="max-width: 100% !important;"> Viruses mutate because they're constantly making copies of themselves in enormous numbers. Each time it is transmitted from one person to another, the chances of making errors (mutation) are high. Think of it this way. Suppose you are typing exceptionally fast multiple times. You'd probably make some errors. This is precisely how the virus mutates. The longer the pandemic rages on, the more chances the virus will evolve, especially in unvaccinated individuals. <a href="https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2334-13-433" target="_blank">Studies</a> have shown that humans are exposed to all four coronaviruses between the ages of three and five. These initial infections lay the foundation for the body's future immune response. As new variants of the endemic coronaviruses naturally evolve, the immune system will have a head start in fighting them off — not enough to eradicate the virus instantly, but enough to ensure that symptoms don't progress much beyond the sniffles. Past studies clarify that partial immunity can keep people from getting seriously ill, even as coronaviruses successfully enter their systems. <img alt="" class="img-responsive img-fluid" data-caption="" data-guid="0c957e43-a0e5-45b5-84ce-0864ae3f4516" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cognitives-s3/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto,w_1200/v1/cog-live/n/1271/2022/Jan/11/6dqrCmeNIH7vaVvocVLw.jpg" style="max-width: 100% !important;"> While initial data shows that protection from booster doses might wane after 10 weeks, this is merely looking at the efficacy of neutralising antibodies. However, neutralising antibodies are not the only defence that the immune system can muster. Immune responses are layered and redundant; where one-layer falters, another can swoop in to help. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41587-021-00025-3" target="_blank">Killer T-cells represent one such layer</a>. Their modus operandi comes with an alternative. They home in on different aspects of the virus than antibodies do. Data from Alessandro Sette's lab, an immunologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and Andrew Redd of the National Institutes of Health, showed that despite Omicron's many mutations, most protein fragments recognised by T-cells are identical to those of other variants. These findings suggest that T-cells trained by vaccines or previous infections will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/health/omicron-vaccine-severe-disease.html" target="_blank">respond aggressively to Omicron rather than standing by</a>. In addition, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34610291/" target="_blank">all vaccines generate memory B-cells</a>, which produce high levels of neutralising antibodies if they see the virus or its variants again. Memory B-cells, once generated, are long-lasting, and this is observed in all vaccinated individuals despite the threat from Omicron. We have endured two years of missed opportunities, missed education, missed connections with family and loved ones. Without action, 2022 could be the same. Countries need to effectively scale and make available new oral therapeutics with the potential to reduce the chance of progression to severe disease. Evidence is accumulating that booster doses are significant for protecting against the Omicron variant; accelerating their rollout will help protect populations. Given public fatigue and the lessons of the past two years, finding the right combination of public-health measures will be critical. While evidence has suggested that Omicron may lead to more frequent hospitalisation in children than other variants, some early findings have pointed toward a mild clinical course. <a href="https://www.ahri.org/omicron-infection-enhances-neutralising-immunity-against-delta/" target="_blank">According to a recent study from South Africa</a>, people infected with Omicron may have increased immune protection against Delta. If Omicron displaces Delta and proves milder than past variants, it would reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 disease. <h2>Sticking to the health measures</h2> Our primary goal is to slow down virus spread by adhering to existing hygiene measures and speeding up the vaccination (which now has to include booster doses at all age groups). We know that variant-specific boosters are currently in the pipeline for various vaccine manufacturers, which can be part of the booster dose regiment in the future. With newer variants having immune evading capabilities, we will continue to see a slight increase in the number of cases. But what we should be looking at is the number of severe cases, hospitalisation rate, and mortality. <h2>Looking ahead to Oral therapeutics</h2> The clinical management of COVID-19 has come a long way since the early days of the pandemic. Recent <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/when-will-the-covid-19-pandemic-end" target="_blank">results from Merck–Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Pfizer</a> on their oral drugs Molnupiravir and PAXLOVID, respectively (two antivirals, with different mechanisms of action), represent a material advancement and increase the chance that the impact of the Omicron variant can be controlled. In its final study, Pfizer reported that <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-announces-additional-phase-23-study-results" target="_blank">PAXLOVID reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death by about 89%</a> for high-risk patients and about 70% for standard-risk patients. Oral therapeutics that significantly reduce the chance of progression to severe disease after symptom onset may enable a higher fraction of cases to be managed as outpatients. Such therapies are also easier to administer in lower-resourced regions. Although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs, it can also damage many other organs, including the heart, kidneys and brain. Organ damage may lead to health complications that linger after COVID-19 illness. Some adults and children experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome after they have had COVID-19. In this condition, some organs and tissues become severely inflamed. One good piece of advice is to get the booster doses, stay vigilant, and practice the hygiene protocols that we have become so used to.

COVID-19: Will 2022 be the year we get the pandemic under control?

In just over two months a global outbreak of monkeypox in non-endemic countries has led to more than 15 000 cases, with over two thirds reported in the WHO European Region. On 23 July 2022 the WHO Director-General determined that this multicountry outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This represents the highest level of alert under the International Health Regulations.We spoke to two clinicians in Portugal and Italy about their experience of treating patients with monkeypox to find out how concerned they are about the current outbreak and to clear up various misconceptions that surround it.Dr Francisco Silva is a General Practitioner in Lisbon, Portugal, who also works at a sexual health clinic in the city. His facility was one of the first in Europe to see increased numbers of patients presenting with similar symptoms that – thanks to the astuteness of clinicians like Dr Silva and others – were quickly identified as being caused by monkeypox. "At the beginning of May I had several patients presenting with what appeared to be ulcers. We tested them for sexually transmitted infections but everything came back negative, so we knew something was wrong. Our lab reported the cases through the EpiPulse online platform (run by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) and soon afterwards we discovered that we had our first cases of monkeypox".Indeed, it was thanks to the prompt reporting of these unusual cases being identified in sexual health clinics in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and then other European countries that the dots were quickly connected to conclude that we were dealing with a significant outbreak of monkeypox, on a scale never seen before.Dr Cristina Mussini is a Professor of Infectious Diseases and Director of the Infectious Disease Clinic at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy."I have been working on HIV since 1998 and our clinics follow about 200 patients living with the disease. Because this patient group tends to be better informed about communicable diseases and used to self-checking for unusual symptoms, these individuals were the first to come to us when they developed strange rashes. However, since then we have also seen others as a result of referrals from our sexual health clinic".Not just a rashHowever, in their experience, both doctors found that the cases presented to them did not necessarily have the rash that is considered the typical symptom of monkeypox, which highlights the need for people to seek medical advice quickly and to get tested."Most people are looking for what they've been told to watch out for on social media – so a rash – but it's not what we always see. I've seen people with anal, genital and oral ulcers or no visible ulcers, and swollen lymph nodes" notes Dr Silva. "We often need to thoroughly investigate to determine whether it's monkeypox, and this can involve an anoscopy to look for lesions inside the anus and then perform a swab test to get a full diagnosis"."Some of our patients that have gone on to test positive for monkeypox had a fever, inflammation of their colon and rectum areas, while others had blister-like lesions on their chin, chest and stomach," reports Dr Mussini.Not a disease associated with any one communityAlthough most of the cases examined by the two clinicians have been among men who have sex with men (MSM), both Dr Silva and Dr Mussini are keen to stress that this is not a disease that is exclusive to gay men, and that no stigma should be attached to it as a result."At first, the cases we saw were connected to travel to Pride events in various countries, but then we saw more cases that could only have come about as a result of local transmission," says Dr Mussini. "Anybody who has close personal contact with an infected individual or their contaminated belongings can develop monkeypox," she adds. "I was afraid at first that the disease would be associated with the gay community, but the Government of Portugal has done a very good job on social media of educating people about monkeypox and explaining that anyone can get it," says Dr Silva.Even so, it is important to point out that MSM are currently at higher risk of contracting monkeypox because of the social and sexual networks in which the disease has been spreading the fastest. Most cases continue to be reported among men who have been exposed as a result of having sex with other men. However, monkeypox cases are also being detected in women and children, and clinicians must be alert to the possibility of monkeypox in their assessment of any patient.Not the new HIVHaving spent more than 30 years working in the HIV field, Dr Mussini is perhaps more qualified than most to recognize that monkeypox does not attack the body's immune system in the same way and that, unlike with HIV, the symptoms usually go away after only a few weeks without the need for treatment.  "This shouldn't be something that scares people, but it's something they should know is out there, like sexually transmitted diseases. People should be well informed about what it is and what the risks are, and should contact their doctors as soon as they have any of the symptoms," she says.Helping to prevent further infectionsIn his consultations with patients who are at increased risk of contracting the disease, Dr Silva is pragmatic in his recommendations: "I advise reducing the number of sexual partners, and, at least for the time being, avoiding sex clubs, because most of the cases I have seen – though not all – can be traced back to attending such venues".The need to actively reduce individual exposures to monkeypox is critical to interrupting its transmission in Europe. Individuals, especially MSM who have multiple sexual partners, should seriously consider the advice given by Dr Silva.Be alert to monkeypoxMonkeypox is contracted as a result of prolonged personal contact with an infected individual (including sexual contact) or coming into contact with their contaminated belongings. Symptoms usually include one or more of the following:  rash, spots, ulcers, or blister-like lesions anywhere on the body, but often in the genital area swollen and painful lymph glands fever, headache and muscle aches, chills or exhaustion.WHO urges anyone who has developed any of these symptoms following close personal contact to consult their health-care provider immediately. Be aware of your own personal risk. If your risk is high, find out what you can do to reduce it. This will protect your health and the health of those you hold close.