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Sexsomnia in an Adolescent
Jose B Contreras1, Jarrett Richardson1,2, Suresh Kotagal1,3
1Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Summary
Sexsomnia, a sleep disorder involving sexual behaviors during sleep, was observed in an adolescent with a history of pineoblastoma and severe obstructive sleep apnea. Hypnosis and multimodal treatment improved his condition.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Oncology
Background:
- Sexsomnia, or sleep-related sexual behaviors, is a parasomnia linked to confusional arousals.
- Associations between sleep disorders and sexsomnia episodes are documented.
- Previous literature describes 115 cases of sexsomnia.
Observation:
- A case of an adolescent male with a history of pineoblastoma developed sexsomnia.
- The patient experienced multiple nocturnal masturbatory events.
- Suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was investigated.
Findings:
- Polysomnography confirmed severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Multiple sexsomnia episodes were recorded during both REM and NREM sleep.
- Daytime symptoms included severe anxiety and hypersomnia.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential link between brain tumors, sleep disorders, and sexsomnia.
- Successful treatment involved a multimodal approach including hypnosis.
- Further research into the neurobiological underpinnings of sexsomnia is warranted.
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