Rare disorder causes woman to fall asleep whenever she has an orgasm

Rising awareness around sex and a higher willingness to engage in conversations around the topic have led to orgasms for both partners gaining importance in relationships. But while experts and couples discuss ways for women to achieve orgasm, the experience isn’t as great for everyone.

A woman from Nottingham is suffering from a rare neurological disorder which causes her to suddenly fall asleep every time she has an orgasm and even when she laughs. The condition called narcolepsy with cataplexy causes her muscles to relax when she experiences strong emotions and this makes her sleep.

The first time Jessica Southall was diagnosed for this was when she experienced exhaustion during school lessons as a teenager. When she first began dating her partner, it looked like she slept immediately after being intimate with him.

Jessica sleeps 13 hours a day and says that the condition which may sound funny has actually made her life terrible. The reason for this disorder is the brain being unable to regulate sleeping and waking up patterns normally.

Although it appears as if Jessica is asleep, she is fully awake during an attack of cataplexy and can’t snap out of it until the emotion is gone.