Bizarre "Sleeping Beauty" Condition Causes Penn. Teen to Sleep for 64 Days
A Pennsylvania teenager suffering from a rare "sleeping beauty" syndrome slept for 64 days from Thanksgiving into January.
Nicole Delien struggles with a bizarre sleep disorder called Kleine-Levin syndrome, which forces her to sleep 18 to 19 hours a day and leaves her in a sleepwalking state when she's awake.
During her long sleep episodes, she will wake up in a confused state for small periods of time to eat and go to the bathroom and then fall back asleep.
"She's never really adjusted to it," Delien's mom, Vicki Delien, told the Chartiers Valley Patch. "She's 17 now and it really upsets her. She's missed out on a lot."
Vicki said that her daughter has slept anywhere from 32 to 64 days in a row. Once Nicole fell asleep before Thanksgiving and didn't wake up until after Christmas.
Vicki said that it was very frustrating trying to get a diagnosis for her daughter and that she had to battle the condition for 25 months before doctors figured out what's been afflicting her.
The condition is more common in males and usually appears in adolescence, according to the Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation. Patients will become increasingly drowsy and will wake up only to eat or go to the bathroom.
"When awake, the patient's whole demeanor is changed, often appearing "spacey" or childlike," the KLSF website stated. "When awake he experiences confusion, disorientation, complete lack of energy (lethargy), and lack of emotions (apathy)."
Other symptoms of Kleine-Levin Syndrome include binge-eating and periods of hyper-sexuality when awake.
Researchers say that the cause of Kleine-Levin Syndrome is still unknown, and there is no cure for the condition.
Nicole takes medicine to reduce the number of her episodes, but her family is in constant fear of her relapsing.
The teenager has missed out on Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and the family's first vacation to Disney World in Orlando.
Nicole also missed out on an opportunity to meet singer Katy Perry backstage at a performance in Connecticut.
"She's just a normal kid," her mother said. "She's a very happy, bubbly teenage girl who enjoys everything and tries to be happy. When she goes into an episode it just tears everything apart."