什麼是睡眠性交症（Sexsomnia）？：英語精讀講義

You wake up to the sound of shouting and screaming. 片語搭配

你被叫喊聲和尖叫聲驚醒。

Your girlfriend is pushing you out of the bed

女友正把你推出床外，

demanding that you leave or

要你離開，或是

at least sleep on the sofa.

至少去睡沙發。

What's going on?

這是怎麼回事？

You were fast asleep minding your own business. 慣用語

你明明一直安分地熟睡著。

Is she tripping or something? 用詞

她是神智不清了還是怎樣？

Hearing her voice going to high pitched mode

聽著她的嗓音變得越來越尖，

as she hurls accusations your way, 片語搭配

一邊劈頭蓋臉地指責你，

your automatic reaction is to get defensive. 片語搭配

你的第一反應就是替自己辯解。

Still,

不過，

you try to stay calm and defend yourself.

你還是努力保持冷靜，為自己解釋。

This has happened before

這種事以前也發生過，

and you know how it ended last time.

你知道上次最後鬧成什麼樣子。

After a few moments,

過了一會兒，

you take in what she's actually saying. 片語動詞

你終於聽懂她到底在說什麼。

She's claiming

她聲稱，

you were aggressively thrusting

你當時在用力挺動身體，

and trying to get fresh with her while she was asleep. 慣用語

還趁她睡著時對她毛手毛腳。

Nonsense.

胡說八道。

You were asleep too.

你當時也睡著了。

Maybe she was just dreaming.

也許她只是在作夢。

But she seems so convinced

但她似乎深信不疑，

that you don't dare suggest it. 文法

讓你完全不敢這樣說。

What's going on?

到底是怎麼回事？

Sexsomnia is a rare disorder

睡眠性愛症是一種罕見的障礙，

that causes some unusual sleeping habits.

會造成一些不尋常的睡眠習慣。

Whereas insomniacs have trouble sleeping, 表達脈絡

失眠者難以入睡，

sexsomniacs engage in sexual acts while asleep. 片語搭配

睡眠性愛症患者卻會在睡著時進行性行為。

This is different from having a wet dream

這不同於做春夢，

or an orgasmic experience during your slumber

或是在睡夢中體驗性高潮，

because the person engages in full-on sexual acts

因為患者會進行貨真價實的性行為，

like masturbation or intercourse.

例如自慰或性交。

When they wake up,

等他們醒來時，

they have no idea what just happened.

完全不知道剛才發生了什麼。

Imagine you could lose your virginity

想像一下，你可能已經失去童貞，

and not even realize.

自己卻毫不知情。

Madness.

太瘋狂了。

It's also possible to combine this sleep sex

還可能把這種睡夢中的性行為

with sleep talking and sleepwalking.

和說夢話及夢遊結合在一起。

So,

所以，

you could have the full shebang with some freaky outdoor sex outside 慣用語

你甚至可能跑到戶外，把瘋狂野戰的全套都做一遍，

and dirty talk.

還說著露骨的情話。

Madness.

太瘋狂了。

Having sex in your sleep might sound harmless or even pleasurable,

在睡夢中做愛聽起來無害，甚至很享受，

but it can lead to some dire consequences. 片語搭配

但可能會造成非常嚴重的後果。

But first, 表達脈絡

不過首先，

let's look at the science behind this sexy phenomenon.

讓我們看看這種性感現象背後的科學原理。

Sexsomnia is a type of parasomnia,

睡眠性愛症是一種類睡症，

a term that encompasses all kinds of abnormal activities

這個詞涵蓋了各種

that can happen while we're asleep.

可能在睡眠中發生的異常活動。

Sleepwalking and sleep talking are the most common and well-known.

夢遊和說夢話最常見，也最廣為人知。

But it turns out 表達脈絡

但事實證明，

we can get up to all kinds of weird stuff. 片語動詞

我們睡著後什麼怪事都可能做得出來。

Sleep-related eating disorders

睡眠相關飲食障礙

make people binge eat while asleep.

會讓人在睡夢中暴飲暴食。

Confusional arousals

意識混亂性覺醒

aren't the weird stuff

可不是那種

you're into that you shouldn't tell others about.

你偷偷喜歡、卻不該告訴別人的怪癖。

They're also known as sleep drunkenness

它也被稱為睡醉，

because they make us function at lower brain capacity

因為它會讓我們的大腦以較低的能力運作，

and talk rubbish.

還會胡言亂語。

And REM sleep behavior disorders

而快速動眼睡眠行為障礙患者

see people fighting imaginary intruders

會和想像中的入侵者搏鬥，

or running away from non-existent monsters.

或是逃離根本不存在的怪物。

Different types of parasomnia take place

不同類型的類睡症

at different points in the sleep cycle.

會發生在睡眠週期的不同階段。

When we first nod off, 片語動詞

我們剛打起瞌睡時，

we go into a light sleep for a few minutes.

會先進入幾分鐘的淺眠。

Then we enter the second stage of sleep,

接著進入睡眠的第二階段，

which is also pretty light and ideal

這個階段也很淺，非常適合

for brief naps.

短暫小睡。

In the third and fourth stages,

到了第三和第四階段，

we finally enter deep sleep,

我們終於進入深度睡眠，

a restorative state that helps us boost our immune system,

這是一種恢復狀態，有助於增強免疫系統、

energy,

補充精力，

and repair our body tissue.

並修復身體組織。

Afterward,

之後，

we go into rapid eye movement

我們會進入快速動眼睡眠，

or REM sleep for around 90 minutes.

也就是REM睡眠，持續大約90分鐘。

At this point,

這時，

the brain becomes more active

大腦會變得更加活躍，

and we can consolidate our memories. 片語搭配

我們也能鞏固記憶。

It's also the part of sleep where we dream.

這也是睡眠中會作夢的階段。

Most cases of sexsomnia take

大多數睡眠性愛症病例

place during non-rapid eye movement

都發生在非快速動眼睡眠中，

or NREM during stages three and four.

也就是第三和第四階段的NREM睡眠。

Since these are the deepest stages of the sleep cycle

由於這是睡眠週期中最深的階段，

and don't involve dreams,

而且不會作夢，

the mind can go a little crazy.

大腦可能會變得有點瘋狂。

The parts of the brain that control

大腦中負責控制

vision, movement,

視覺和動作，

and emotion remain awake during NREM sleep.

以及情緒的部分，在NREM睡眠期間仍然清醒。

But the parts controlling memory,

但負責記憶、

decision-making,

決策，

and rationality are asleep.

以及理性思考的部分卻睡著了。

Yep,

沒錯，

sounds like a recipe for disaster. 慣用語

聽起來就是一套釀成災難的配方。

Most types of parasomnia occur during NREM sleep,

大多數類睡症都發生在NREM睡眠期間，

including sleepwalking and sleep talking.

包括夢遊和說夢話。

But there are also a few disorders that can happen during REM sleep.

不過，也有少數障礙會在REM睡眠期間發生。

A key example is sleep paralysis, 文化背景

一個典型例子就是睡眠癱瘓，

waking up paralyzed

也就是醒來時身體無法動彈，

while partially emerged in a dream state,

此時還沒有完全脫離夢境，

which is why it's so terrifying.

所以才會如此恐怖。

Because sexsomnia occurs during deep sleep 文法

由於睡眠性愛症發生在深度睡眠中，

and we don't remember it when we wake up,

而且醒來後不會記得，

it's difficult to diagnose yourself.

所以很難自行診斷。

Symptoms include heavy breathing,

症狀包括呼吸沉重、

sweating, masturbating,

出汗、自慰、

pelvic thrusting,

骨盆挺動、

spontaneous orgasm,

自發性高潮、

fondling,

撫摸、

an elevated heart rate,

心跳加快，

and blank stares.

以及眼神空洞。

To me,

在我看來，

that just sounds like the normal state of a hormone-filled teenager.

這聽起來不過是荷爾蒙爆棚的青少年的正常狀態。

But there you go.

不過，事情就是這樣。

Although we have a vague understanding of sexsomnia now, 文法

雖然我們現在對睡眠性愛症有了模糊的認識，

it's still murky on the details.

但具體細節仍然不清不楚。

What causes it?

它是什麼造成的？

How often does it happen?

多久會發生一次？

We're still not sure.

我們還是不確定。

Naturally,

當然，

it's pretty challenging for scientists to investigate sexsomnia.

科學家很難研究睡眠性愛症。

You can't just repeatedly make two people fall asleep together

你不可能讓兩個人一遍又一遍地一起入睡，

in a laboratory

待在實驗室裡，

hoping that eventually they'll have sex while sleeping.

盼著他們最後能在睡夢中做愛。

Then repeat it with a hundred other couples

然後再讓另外一百對伴侶重複這個過程，

because you need a bigger sample size to reach any conclusion. 片語搭配

因為你需要更大的樣本數才能得出結論。

We'll probably be in the dark about this one for a long time. 慣用語

關於這個問題，我們很可能還要摸黑很久。

However,

不過，

there are some theories.

倒是有一些理論。

Some researchers think the causes of sexsomnia could be exhaustion,

有些研究人員認為，睡眠性愛症可能由過度疲勞、

alcohol, drugs, anxiety,

酒精、毒品、焦慮，

or poor sleeping conditions,

或惡劣的睡眠環境引起，

and sharing a bed with someone,

和別人同床也可能是誘因，

although it's hard to ignore that one altogether.

不過這一點確實很難完全忽略。

So,

所以，

we can only assume that attempting to cope with extreme stress 片語搭配

我們只能認為，試圖應付極端壓力時

by taking drugs,

靠吸毒、

partying until the early hours,

狂歡到凌晨，

and getting into bed with your friend who has an uncomfortable mattress

再爬上床和一個床墊很不舒服的朋友一起睡，

is a terrible idea and not a healthy coping mechanism.

絕對是個糟糕的主意，也不是健康的因應方式。

You learn something new every day.

每天都能學到新東西。

Even though it's notoriously difficult to research sexsomnia, 文法

儘管睡眠性愛症出了名地難以研究，

a few cases have been found

人們還是發現了幾個病例，

and I'll tell you now,

我現在就可以告訴你，

it doesn't end well.

這些事都沒有好下場。

The first case of sexsomnia was reported as recently as 1986. 文法

直到1986年，第一起睡眠性愛症病例才被通報。

That could be because humans are getting progressively hornier over time,

這可能是因為人類隨著時間推移變得越來越飢渴，

but most likely it's just because nobody thought it was worthwhile to report before then.

但更可能只是之前沒人覺得這種事值得通報。

I mean,

我是說，

what person in their right mind would ring up their doctor after they masturbated in their sleep? 講解

哪個神智正常的人會在睡夢中自慰後打電話給醫師？

You'd just shrug it off and go about your day, 片語動詞

你只會聳聳肩，然後照常過日子，

wouldn't you? 語氣意圖

不是嗎？

Even now,

即使到了現在，

only 194 cases have ever been reported

有紀錄的病例也只有194例，

and there's very little information available about most of them.

而且其中大多數可查到的資訊都非常少。

But in 2017,

但在2017年，

one man in the UK was successfully diagnosed

英國一名男子終於獲得了正確診斷，

after ending up in hot water with both his current and his ex-girlfriend. 慣用語

此前他因為現任女友和前女友都惹上了麻煩。

We don't know his actual name,

我們不知道他的真名，

so let's call him Bob.

所以就叫他Bob吧。

First,

首先，

Bob crashed at his ex-girlfriend's house one night. 用詞

有一晚，Bob借住在前女友家。

It's not a good idea at the best of times,

這種事任何時候都不是好主意，

but in fairness to him, 表達脈絡

但平心而論，

they had a kid together.

他們共同養育著一個孩子。

What could go wrong, 語氣意圖

能出什麼問題呢，

right?

對吧？

Turns out a lot can go wrong. 表達脈絡

事實證明，能出問題的地方可多了。

Bob woke up to find his ex screaming at him 文法

Bob醒來時，發現前女友正對他尖叫，

accusing him of rape.

指控他強暴。

He was confused and alarmed

他既困惑又驚慌，

believing he'd done nothing of the sort, 慣用語

認為自己絕對沒做過那種事，

but decided it was best to leave promptly

但還是決定最好立刻離開，

and let her calm down. 文法

讓她冷靜一下。

It was probably a bad call to not talk it out 講解

沒有把事情說開

and investigate further

並進一步調查，或許是個糟糕的決定，

because the incident ended with him being accused of rape 文法

因為這起事件最後讓他遭到強暴指控，

and convicted as guilty by the jury.

並被陪審團判定有罪。

Still,

儘管如此，

Bob didn't understand what had happened and believed he was innocent.

Bob還是不明白發生了什麼，並堅信自己無辜。

Then a similar pattern happened with his next girlfriend.

後來，他和下一任女友之間又出現了類似的情況。

The first night they slept in the same bed,

他們第一次睡在同一張床上的那晚，

she was annoyed to find him fondling her

她很不高興地發現他在撫摸自己，

and thrusting in the middle of the night,

還在半夜挺動骨盆，

but brushed it off and said nothing.

但她沒太放在心上，什麼也沒說。

Then another night after a boozy party,

後來又有一晚，他們參加了一場喝得很兇的派對，

she was woken up in the middle of the night.

她半夜被弄醒。

She shouted at Bob angrily,

她憤怒地對Bob大喊，

angry that he'd wake her up and have such little respect for her boundaries. 片語搭配

氣他吵醒自己，還如此不尊重她的界線。

It was so out of character, 慣用語

這種行為也完全不像平常的他。

too.

一點都不像。

He was usually so gentle and thoughtful.

他平時總是那麼溫柔體貼。

Much to her surprise, 片語搭配

讓她大感意外的是，

Bob seemed taken aback, 慣用語

Bob似乎嚇了一跳，

confused,

滿臉困惑，

and denied anything had happened.

還否認發生過任何事。

Was he an evil gaslighting genius, 用詞

他是個邪惡的煤氣燈操縱天才，

or was there something even stranger going on here?

還是這裡發生了更加離奇的事？

Bob saw a doctor who pointed out the rare disease of sexsomnia.

Bob去看了醫師，醫師提到罕見的睡眠性愛症。

Suddenly,

突然間，

everything made sense.

一切都說得通了。

He wasn't a forgetful sexual predator.

他並不是一個健忘的性侵犯者。

He'd literally been sleeping throughout all the incidents.

所有這些事情發生時，他真的一直都在睡覺。

To verify it really was sexsomnia,

為了確認這確實是睡眠性愛症，

the doctor referred him to a sleep clinic in London 片語搭配

醫師將他轉診到倫敦的一家睡眠診所，

where he could be monitored.

讓他在那裡接受監測。

The researchers put electrodes to his scalp as he slept

研究人員在他睡覺時把電極貼在他的頭皮上，

to monitor his brain activity

以監測他的腦部活動，

and found some surprising results.

並發現了一些驚人的結果。

During the incidents,

在這些事件發生時，

Bob was effectively both awake and asleep at the same time. 文法

Bob實際上同時處於清醒和睡眠狀態。

The sleep cycle of regular people was out the window. 慣用語

一般人的睡眠週期規律在他身上全亂了套。

There were both the slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

既出現了與深度睡眠相關的慢腦波，

and the fast rhythms and brain waves associated with being awake.

也出現了清醒時才有的快速節律和腦波。

They diagnosed him with sexsomnia.

醫師診斷他患有睡眠性愛症。

Another man from Scotland was cleared of rape charges 片語搭配

蘇格蘭另一名男子也獲得撤銷強暴指控，

after doctors diagnosed him with sexsomnia,

因為醫師診斷他患有睡眠性愛症，

but it's still a legal gray area for now. 慣用語

不過目前這在法律上仍屬於灰色地帶。

Now,

現在，

check out our videos about why everything you know about sleep is wrong

去看看我們關於為什麼你對睡眠的所有認知都是錯的

and what your bad dreams say about you.

以及惡夢能透露出什麼的那些影片吧。