Why do I wank in my sleep?

“Last week, my girlfriend said I was laughing and wanking in my asleep. I don’t remember any of this, though an ex-girlfriend once mentioned I’d done something similar. What’s going on?”

There are a number of different factors that can affect how people behave when they’re asleep.

Dreams can have an impact on a person’s actions, as can alcohol or drugs. Obviously this behaviour seems strange, especially as you have no memory of it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It may simply be down to you dreaming about masturbating or having sex – there’s nothing wrong with either of those!

Find out more about dreams and nightmares in this article.

There’s also a sleep disorder sometimes known as ‘sleep sex‘, which involves a disruption to the normal dreaming stage of sleep. The medical term for this problem is REM behaviour disorder (RBD) and it occurs when the body’s not immobilised during sleep and may act out dreams. Treatment often involves finding what may be triggering the behaviour, which can include alcohol or stress.

Learn more about sleep disorders here.

If what happened continues to bother you, you might want to consider talking to your doctor (GP), if only to put your mind at rest. Don’t feel shy about speaking to the doctor, it’s always better to get the opinion of a professional and they will have seen far worse.

Having issues with your body? Check out our body problems articles here. You can also post anonymously on our discussion boards if there’s something you like to share, or you can get in touch with our team directly.