Girl Slept For 64 Days Due To Rare Sleep Disorder

A girl slept for 64 days due to a rare sleep disorder.

Nicole Delien

Pennsylvania teenager Nicole Delien slept for 64 days from last year's Thanksgiving Day until this year's January, the longest sleeping episode she has had.

Delien, 17, is suffering from a condition called Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) or more commonly known as the "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome," which affects about 1000 people around the world. which affects an estimated 1,000 people around the world.

KLS Foundation describes the disorder as a "rare and complex neurological disorder characterized by periods of excessive amounts of sleep and altered behavior."

"KLS strikes adolescents primarily. At the onset of an episode the patient becomes progressively drowsy and sleeps for most of the day and night (hypersomnolence), waking only to eat or go to the bathroom. When awake, the patient’s whole demeanor is changed, often appearing “spacey” or childlike. When awake he experiences confusion, disorientation, complete lack of energy (lethargy), and lack of emotions (apathy). Most patients report that everything seems out of focus, and that they are hypersensitive to noise and light. In some cases, food cravings (compulsive hyperphagia) are exhibited. Instances of uninhibited hypersexuality during an episode have also been reported," the foundation wrote.

Experts say KLS can last for eight to fourteen years of the life of the person diagnosed with the disorder.

Because of sleeping for 64 consecutive days, Nicole missed important occasions such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and even the first family trip to Disney World.

Her mom, Vicki, claims that Nicole usually sleeps for 18 to 19 hours a day. She wakes her up to eat and to use the bathroom but her teen daughter is still in a sleepwalking state while she is performing these activities.

Nicole's last sleeping episode was in March. Her medication helps her control the frequency of her sleeping episodes but she still lives in fear of the next time it will happen again.