Reaching orgasm can be challenging for many individuals, but some experience this sensation even while asleep.
The existence of an orgasm gap is well-documented, with women typically experiencing less frequent orgasms compared to men.
According to Psychology Today, during heterosexual interactions, only 50 to 70 percent of women reach orgasm, whereas 95 percent of men do. A disparity that highlights the gap.
On the contrary, there are women who report having orgasms during sleep, a phenomenon known as nocturnal orgasms or ‘sleepgasms’.
On the Just Between Us podcast, Diana Vickers, a former contestant on the British edition of The X Factor, shared her experiences with sleepgasms, explaining that they often wake her up.
“Sometimes I’m asleep and then I’ll wake up having an orgasm — it’ll wake me up,” she said, adding: “I don’t know whether the dream is very sexy, or what’s going on, but I’ll open my eyes and have to attend to the fact it’s happening. It happened to me this morning.”
Dr. Hana Patel, a women’s health expert, has provided insights into the nature and causes of sleepgasms.
“They’re a healthy part of sexual function, often linked to erotic dreams or subconscious arousal,” she told Metro Online.
She explained that sleepgasms are more likely to occur during REM sleep, a phase characterized by deep sleep and rapid eye movements. During REM, the brain is highly active, and vivid or erotic dreams are more common.
“This is when the brain regions tied to emotion, memory, and arousal are activated,” shared Dr Patel.
Dr. Patel further detailed the physiological process of sleepgasms: “Your brain being highly active is to process emotions, memories, and vivid dreams.
“The body reacts on its own during sleep: this could mean more blood flows to the genitals, the muscles in the pelvic area might tighten, and without the brain holding anything back, an orgasm can happen automatically.
“Despite this, your body will remain mostly paralysed to prevent you acting out dreams.”
Interestingly, an explicit dream is not necessarily required to experience a sleepgasm.
“People often report waking up mid-orgasm with no memory of a sexual dream,” said Dr Patel. “This means sleepgasms can occur quite spontaneously, likely triggered by things like body positioning or even hormonal shifts.”