'Rare condition means I have to lock myself in my bedroom at night'

A happily married mum says she suffers from a rare sleep condition which means she has to lock herself in her room at night when she stays with friends. Lauren Spencer says she 'takes on a totally different personality after drifting off at night'.

The 50-year-old has been diagnosed with a rare sleep disorder that causes her to initiate sex while asleep. Her husband Charlie, 52, says that while Lauren is asleep she will snuggle up to him or try to have sex by stroking him.

Lauren, from Devon, said she has to put a cable lock on the door if she stays overnight elsewhere “If I stayed at a friend's house and ended up in bed with her partner, I'm sure I wouldn't be very popular,” said the mum-of-two. “As it goes, I'm a homebody, so it's not an issue thankfully.

“I live alone with my husband, and he doesn't complain. My daughters are 25 and 30 years old and neither live with me nowadays. I have no recollection or awareness after an episode, so it can be confusing. The lack of control is embarrassing, but fortunately it's not something that happens that often.

“Charlie, of course, leaps at the opportunity and sometimes things progress. We’ve discussed my condition at length and I’ve decided that I’m happy to have sex when this happens – it’s completely consensual.”

Lauren was diagnosed with the condition after visiting her doctor in 2021. The content creator and model was at first concerned that she had a neurological issue, as she has also had problems with sleepwalking, sleep talking and sometimes falling out of bed.

Lauren has to take special precautions if she stays away for the night, including barricading the bedroom door. She said: “I take a cable lock to wrap around the door handle if I stay away for the night. Then I can't open the door in my sleep and wander into somebody else's bedroom.

“That generally is enough to save my blushes. I also use Nytol to help me sleep more deeply in the hope that I won't get out of bed.”

Lauren says episodes are more likely if she is feeling particularly stressed, but hasn’t found the triggering factor. Aside from initiating sex, Lauren also claims she has gotten out of bed to clean, as well as sending text messages, with no recollection the next morning.

As it’s relatively unheard of, she often keeps quiet about her condition; but has piqued the interest of her friends. Lauren added: “I generally don't tell people about my condition, because I wouldn't want them to think I was crazy, and it's something that most people haven't even heard of.

“I did mention it to one friend, and her husband chipped in saying he wouldn't mind if she had that problem. I think it would be fascinating to watch myself doing something that I'm not aware of.”