Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, a disorder that makes you sleep very long

Medical Video: AGH Doctor Solves Mystery of Teenager With Rare Sleep Disorder

The sleeping princess, a tale that has been known from time to time, is not entirely a mere myth. Syndrome sleeping beauty is a situation that really happened in real life. Syndrome sleeping beauty or in the medical world known as Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a neurological disorder that can be considered rare. So rare, it is reported that there are only around 1,000 people worldwide who suffer from this disease.

What is syndrome? sleeping beauty?

Kleine-Levine syndrome is a rare rare neurological disease commonly suffered by adult males, about 70% of the number of people with syndrome sleeping beauty are men. The main characteristic of this disease is the period in which the sufferer sleeps for a long period of time, more than 20 hours per day. This period can take several days to several months. But after the period ends, people with syndrome sleeping beauty can do ordinary activities like normal people.

The first case of this syndrome was reported by Brierre de Boismont in 1862. This case appeared several decades before the onset of the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. But it was only in 1925 that repeated cases of hyperinsomnia were collected and reported by Willi Kleine in Frankfurt. Max Levin then continued his research on syndromes sleeping beauty by adding several supporting theories. Syndrome sleeping beauty later named Kleine-Levin Syndrome by Critchley in 1962 after he had previously monitored 15 cases of syndromic symptoms sleeping beauty which appeared on British soldiers who served in World War II.

What are the characteristics of the syndrome sleeping beauty?

The main characteristic is excessive sleep when the syndrome attacks, these periods are usually called 'episodes'. If an episode occurs, the sufferer can have the following characteristics:

Patients cannot tell which reality is a dream. Not infrequently in between episodes, sufferers often daydream and look as if they are not aware of their surroundings.
When you wake up in the middle of a long sleep, sufferers can behave like a child, feel confused, disorientated, lethargic (lose energy and feel very weak), to apathy or show no emotion towards what is happening around it.
Patients are also reported to be more sensitive to many things such as sound and light. Loss of appetite can also occur when an episode is ongoing. Some also stated that the emergence of sexual appetite increased suddenly.
Syndrome sleeping beauty this is a cycle. Each episode can last several days, weeks, or even months. When an episode takes place, the sufferer cannot do work like a normal person like going to work or going to school. Because more than half a day will be used for sleep. They also cannot take care of themselves because even if they wake up, then they will feel too tired, powerless, and disorientated.

What causes the syndrome sleeping beauty?

Just like other rare diseases, there is still no explanation regarding what actually causes this disease. But the symptoms that appear in this syndrome indicate a malfunction of the part of the hypothalamus and thalamus in the brain. Both of these parts in the brain play a role in regulating appetite and sleep.

What is the treatment for people with syndrome sleeping beauty?

Compared with drug therapy, counseling and treatment at home during a syndrome episode sleeping beauty appears much more emphasized. Some types of drugs can be consumed but the purpose is not to treat the syndrome but only to reduce the symptoms. Drugs such as stimulants such as amphetamine, methylphenidate, and modafinil can be used to overcome excessive drowsiness caused by the syndrome sleeping beauty. But these types of drugs can increase the irritability of patients and have no effect on reducing the abnormalities of cognitive abilities that occur when the episode takes place.

Therefore, supervision and treatment at home during an episode occurs is very important. Patients will have difficulty taking care of themselves so that other people's help is needed. After one episode ends, sufferers will usually not remember what happened during the episode of the syndrome. Usually syndrome episodes sleeping beauty this will gradually decrease the duration and intensity. This process can last for 8 to 12 years.

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