A WOMAN suffers from a mysterious disorder which turns her into a sex addict - when she is asleep.

Belle Floor is a Sexsomniac - meaning she engages in sexual acts while she is sleeping - and cannot remember anything the next day.

Her condition means she is too afraid to let boyfriends stay over in case she embarrasses herself at night.

Ms Floor, 32, from Almelo, Holland, set up her own support website six years ago after doctors failed to work out what was wrong with the pretty blonde.

The condition, which causes her to touch herself intimately, is so rare that at first she struggled to convince anyone she had no control over it.

Her ex-boyfriend Justin, 47, a construction worker, could not accept it was happening without her knowledge and eventually it caused them to separate.

Ms Floor said: "He never really believed I had no control over it and took it as a slur on his sexual prowess.

"I've been on a few dates since but I haven't had men stay over with me, because I don't want to get serious with them."

Ms Floor first discovered her disturbing disorder in 1999 when Justin confronted her.

The softly spoken school administrator said: "Out of the blue one evening he asked me why I played with myself at night.

"I denied it because I couldn't remember ever doing it."

Ms Floor went to a series of doctors and psychologists, who told her there was nothing they could do as they had never heard of anyone with a similar condition.

Doctors offered her medication, and she also tried hypnotherapy, sex counselling and an EEG brain scan in an attempt to stop the sexsomnia incidents.

Muscle relaxant drugs helped for a while but she did not want to spend the rest of her life on medication.

Ms Floor has since found solace by speaking to other sufferers online and she set up her own website offering advice and support.

She said: "Knowing I wasn't alone was a huge relief and speaking to others has brought me enormous comfort.

"There are no official figures on how many people suffer from sexsomnia but I've spoken to hundreds of men and women from all walks of life with the same condition."

She said: "I now have my self-confidence and self esteem back. I have great friends, a great job and I really enjoy my life."