From The Huffington Post
Mind-Blowing Sex? Amnesia Could Be Caused By Sex, New Report SuggestsA 54-year-old woman must have had the best sex ever.In fact, doctors at George Washington University hospital believe it resulted in short-term global amnesia. LiveScience states that the case, reported in the September issue of The Journal of Emergency Medicine, actually isn’t unheard of, though global amnesia is incredibly rare.However, it seems scientists don’t know if sex truly is at the root of the condition, but it may be an uncomfortable position that is really causing all the fuss.From The Daily:Her memory got hazy, she said, just after sex with her husband. Researchers know very little about transient global amnesia and they can only guess at its causes, one of which they suspect is sex. Their best guess is that the amnesia is triggered by Valsalva maneuver, which causes oxygen-poor blood to gather in the neck.Thankfully, the condition only affects 3 to 5 people per 100,000 each year, according to LiveScience. The scary thing, however, is that scientists have no idea how people seem to remain awake and active while large chunks of memory go missing.This type of amnesia seems to differ greatly from traumatically induced amnesia, and effects seem to disappear after a few hours. However, this short-term condition also seems much different from dissociative amnesia, a mental condition that erases large periods of time and is often caused by traumatic events, according to WebMD.This short-term amnesia seems to be in a class of its own.LiveScience explains more about the Valsalva manuever:This is called the “Valsalva maneuver,” familiar as the “bearing down” people might do when lifting weights, defecating or even having sex. The increased pressure increases the resistance to blood flowing down the jugular veins, and insufficient valves may allow deoxygenated blood to push back up the neck. Oxygen-poor blood then “piles up” in the veins draining the brain, especially in central brain regions that are key to memory formation. The result could be transient amnesia.
My own lack of knowledge about human biology notwithstanding, this seems like a scientifically sound hypothesis. According to Wikipedia, the aforementioned Valsalva Maneuver results from “moderately forceful attempted exhalation against a closed airway, usually done by closing one’s mouth and pinching one’s nose shut.” The Wikipedia article does not specifically mention short-term memory loss, though it is noted that divers who perform this maneuver at the end of a dive as opposed to during ascent can suffer severe neurological damage.
Despite the fact that, if true, this would give many of us a much cooler excuse for forgetting our responsibilities than “Sorry, I was busy with my Fantasy Football team”, as stated in the article it seems like an uncomfortable position is more to blame for the memory-loss than the sex itself. While sex does frequently involve uncomfortable positions and the sort of erratic breathing that might lead to loss of consciousness, I’d have to guess that a claustrophobic person wedged into a cramped spot and forced to maintain an uncomfortable position for a prolonged period of time would be just as likely to experience short-term memory loss as someone enjoying mind-blowing sex.
Jill has experienced a variety of unusual physiological reactions during and after extremely intense sexual activity, including but not limited to ejaculation, crying, and light-headedness. She has thusfar never experienced short-term memory loss. If this changes, I will certainly re-evaluate the situation and probably reconsider my position, as if she does suffer post-sex amnesia it would most certainly be caused by the sex, and not by an uncomfortable position.