From my experience, you'll never get back those sleepless nights with a baby (thank G-d babies are so adorable, right?), or ever truly catch up on sleep for that matter. But what if you slipped into a deep sleep that lasted a day...a week or a month? Think of all you'd miss...
Sleeping beauty isn't just a fairy tail. ABC News recently reported that there is a present-day Sleeping Beauty, but fortunately, her story doesn't involve a spell, or unfortunately, a handsome prince to wake her. Her name is Louisa Ball, she's 17 and her ongoing long-term slumbers began with flu-like symptoms. She sleeps for up to two weeks, is awoken by her parents for ravenous feedings and bathroom breaks, and has offensive mood swings. When she finally wakes up from the sleep episode, she's very confused, sometimes has lost weight, but does feel refreshed. It took visits to many medical professionals to finally diagnose Louisa with Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), an incurable autoimmune disorder that some researchers say disrupts the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite, sleep and libido. She's gone five months without an episode, so things are looking up, but sadly, there is no cure yet for KLS.
KLS is certainly not a joke, and must be so tough to live with as the person suffering with the disorder, or a loved one of this person. In a recent two week stretch AML jr tried five different Gerber foods, pulled herself up in her crib, learned to crawl backwards and forwards and did A LOT of smiling and laughing. After reading about Louisa and KLS, it got me thinking...parent or not, what's a little lack of sleep so as to not miss the important moments in life?
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