Tips to avoid sleep-sex

This may seem an oxymoron to those not suffering from sexsomnia, a parasomnia -where a person appears to be awake while asleep, but here are some tips to help sexsomniacs, people who begin a sexual act while still sleeping uncontrollably.

SleepEducation.com, a resource from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, recommends sleeping every night 7-8 hours if you are an adult, 9 hours for teens and toddlers and schoolchildren should get between 9 -14 hours.

It is also important to maintain a constant sleep-wake schedule even on holidays and weekends. Messing with your clock can lead to sleep disorders as well as alcohol and drug use.

Should you have a more serious sleep disorder or are suffering anxiety, depression and stress, it is best to seek advice from a health professional.

Also, parasomnias, including sexsomnia, can be linked to other medical conditions including: Parkinson disease, dementia, narcolepsy and mid-brain tumors.

The best way to get tested for these disorders is to be observed overnight at a sleep clinic and if you have experienced sexsomnia, are not on drugs and have a regular sleeping pattern, it would be best to seek professional help.

To check your overall sleep health, take this Sleepiness Scale and Sleep Evaluation Quiz at http://www.sleepeducation.com/SleepScale.aspx and http://www.sleepeducation.com/SleepEval.aspx

For more information on the Sleep Research Laboratory's (at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada) research presentation on sexsomnia visit SLEEP 2010: http://www.apss.org