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'Sleeping beauty' sleeps for 64 days
Author: Jonathan Warren
An American teenager with a rare sleeping condition fell asleep at Thanksgiving and woke up in January! Nicole Delien of Pennsylvania suffers from Kleine-Levin syndrome, a rare sleep disorder otherwise known as 'Sleeping Beauty Syndrome' which causes her to sleep for 18 to 19 hours a day.
In her longest period of sleep to date, Ms Delien missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, relative's birthdays and the family's first trip to Disney World. During these prolonged sleeping sessions, she will wake up occasionally in a state akin to sleepwalking, during which time she will eat and go to the toilet, before returning to her slumber.
The Delien family had great difficulty in trying to get a diagnosis for their daughter, but finally a doctor at the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh was able to make a successful analysis of her condition and provide Ms Delien with medication.
Other symptoms of Kleine-Levin Syndrome include hallucination, child-like behaviour, disorientation and binge-eating, and although relatively rare it is usually found in young males. The cause of the disorder remains a mystery.
