A girl slept for 64 days in one long stretch due to a rare disorder colloquially called "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome." Nicole Delien, 17, suffers from a rare disorder, Kleine-Levin Syndrome, which makes her sleep for longer amounts of time than most. The cause of the syndrome is unknown.
Most recently, Delien woke up after sleeping for 64 days, from Thanksgiving into January, which made her miss Christmas. Nicole says she has missed out on Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and the family's first trip to Disney World.
In addition to excessive sleeping, symptoms include disorientation, hallucination, child-like behaviour, binge-eating and periods of hyper-sexuality when awake, according to an Oxford Journals report.
According to the Daily Mail Delien and her family made an appearance on Jeff Probst's talk show this week to spread awareness about rare sleep disorders. Her parents point out that many holidays and birthdays went by when the girl would just sleep right through it. In fact, they explain the time when the girl won tickets to see singer Katy Perry, but slept right through their meeting time.
Vicki Delien, Nicole's mother, told reporters that it was very frustrating trying to get a diagnosis for her daughter. She said it took several hospital trips to figure out what's been afflicting her.
According to WebMD, it is "a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of sleep, excessive food intake and behavioral changes." It usually affects teenage males, but can definitely affect young women, as seen in Delien's case.
Delien is afraid that she might miss out on much more if she falls asleep again, she told KDKA News. Comerford and her family, meanwhile, say they try to "laugh and joke about it" in order to make the situation bearable.
