A woman has revealed she suffers from a rare condition that means sex is constantly on her mind while she’s asleep – which has now made her start sleepwalking outside naked and looking for men
Sex-mad Lauren Spencer is a ‘cougar on the hunt’ who walks around her garden naked – but doesn’t realise she’s doing it.
The 51-year-old suffers from a condition called sexsomnia, a serious sleep disorder which means sex is always on her mind when she’s sleeping.
By day, mum-of-two Lauren enjoys gardening, lunch with friends and dog walks, but at night, her condition sees her become “possessed” at night. Her husband Charlie said Lauren’s sexsomnia is only getting worse and calls her a ‘Duracell bunny’.
Her eyes are wide open yet she’s actually still asleep, in some sort of hypnotised sleepwalking state. Lauren has somehow managed to undo the bike lock attached to the couple’s patio doors, put there to block her escape.
Charlie will cover her up and bring her inside before the neighbours make a scene, and they even have a bike lock attached to handles on the doors so Lauren can’t get outside that way, but she still manages to escape from the front.
Lauren said: “I try getting out of the house while sleepwalking and calling for ‘young meat’ in a demonic fashion. It’s worrying. My husband tells me that once I fall into a deep sleep, I seem to become ‘possessed’ and the term ‘gombie,’ a blend between a ‘GILF’ and a ‘zombie,’ best describes my altered state of mind at those times.”
She said she enjoys sex with her husband most mornings, but when she has one of her ‘sexsomania episodes’ she said she becomes possessed and makes “wild growling” noises.
It means she will initiate sex in the middle of the night, with no recollection in the morning. Recently, during her episodes, Lauren has started going downstairs and outside with no clothes on. One evening, while Charlie was in the living room he heard the front door open and saw Lauren in the street naked – which she has no memory of.
While Charlie takes her sexsomnia in his stride, Lauren is still learning to live with the disorder. “The more it’s happened, the more accustomed to it I’ve become, and the more accepting I am,” she says. “But I must admit, no matter how many times it happens, the lack of control can be upsetting.”
In 2021 Lauren sought medical help, worried she had an underlying neurological issue and was diagnosed her with sexsomnia, a rare form of parasomnia – a disorder that causes people to engage in unusual behaviours while asleep. It’s more common in men, but is still only around one to eight per cent of the population.
Triggers can include stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol consumption, and other underlying sleep disorders. Lauren has also been known to wake up and start cleaning the bathroom, send random text messages, or have full conversations while still in a deep sleep.
Lauren does, however, see the lighter side of things. “I interact with a lot of young men online, so maybe that plays a part in it,” she says. “I get a lot of compliments from younger guys, so while I’m not consciously thinking that I must go and find loads of young men, I suppose if I see an attractive young lad on the streets, perhaps I notice it subconsciously.
“But I’m the most loyal woman. I would never dream of going behind my husband’s back. I would split up with somebody rather than cheat. I really value loyalty and self-respect for myself. I would never cheat and have never done that, but I guess it’s just your subconscious.”
Lauren says she feels lucky to be with a man like Charlie as others may not be as understanding.
She says: “I’m just glad my husband is accepting of my sexsomnia. Some men might get annoyed, but we have a good sense of humour, and we’re of an age where you don’t get upset by things like that.”
Lauren and Charlie have now had to come up with ways to stop it happening when they go away. “In hotels, we have to put a chair against the door, and if it’s just a one-handled door, we’ll put a chair in front of it and use a cable tie around the handle of the door and chain it to the chair. Then if I try to get out, my husband will wake up.”
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