I tried to have sex with my wife in my sleep

DEAR DEIDRE: THE other night, my wife woke me saying I’d tried to have sex with her in my sleep.

I thought she was joking but after searching online, maybe not.

I’m 42, she’s 36 and we’ve been married for six years.

We’ve always had a great sex life. In the early days, we’d be intimate three or four times a week.

This has continued for the eight years we’ve been together.

But in June, my partner had an accident at work and badly hurt her back.

She’s currently having some physio and has been told to avoid sex for a few weeks.

Of course, I’m doing my best to respect this. But I’m also missing the physical side of our relationship.

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My wife seemed really upset when she told me what had happened.

How can I stop this happening again? I had no idea what I’d done.

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DEAR DEIDRE

UNSOCIAL MEDIA

DEIDRE SAYS: You may have sexsomnia, also known as sleep sex.

This is a rare sleep disorder where people perform sexual acts when they are asleep, which they usually don’t remember once awake.

There are various possible triggers, including stress, depression, fatigue and sleep apnoea.

Speak to your GP, who might be able to refer you to a sleep centre.

Speaking to a counsellor could help your wife deal with what happened. My pack How Counselling Can Help shows where to find local support.