Latest news with #Kleine-Levinsyndrome
New York Post
28-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
What is ‘sleeping beauty syndrome'? Extremely rare condition makes people sleep 16 to 20 hours
It's not such a fairy tale. With stress, smartphones, and bad nighttime habits, many of us are struggling to get the recommended six to nine hours of sleep each night. However, a rare condition causes some to doze for nearly an entire day for days on end. 4 A rare condition called 'sleeping beauty syndrome' causes some to doze for nearly an entire day for days on end. Courtesy Everett Collection What is sleeping beauty syndrome? Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS), also known as 'Sleeping beauty syndrome' or 'familial hibernation syndrome,' is a neurological disorder that causes sufferers to sleep for extended periods, as much as 16 to 20 hours a day. An ultra-rare condition, research suggests KLS occurs in one to five people per million and has a higher prevalence among Ashkenazi Jews. To date, only 500 cases have been reported in medical journals. While 70 percent of people with this disorder are male, KLS can affect either sex, with symptoms typically emerging in early adolescence and progressing for an average of 14 years. KLS is a central disorder of hypersomnolence, a category which also includes narcolepsy. Episodes can appear and subside, with most patients experience it for 10 to 20 years. Symptoms of KLS or sleeping beauty syndrome A KLS episode is defined as symptoms that persist for at least two days. Episodes average around 10 days but can last for several weeks. For one patient with KLS, her sleep count reached 70 consecutive days. 4 Episodes average around 10 days but can last for several weeks. Rido – Those with Kleine-Levin sometimes display ferocious hunger, hallucinate and become unprecedentedly aroused during episodes, according to the Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation. Experts say the majority of people diagnosed with KLS will experience on average, 20 episodes in their lifetime. Symptoms of KLS include: Extreme drowsiness and inability to stay awake. Increased appetite Weight gain Increased sex drive Hallucinations Behavioral changes, including irritability and disorientation Anxiety or depression. Confusion or amnesia. KLS episodes can come on suddenly, increasing the likelihood of injury if the patient is operating a motor vehicle or machinery — so people with the condition are advice to stay home in a secure environment during episodes. 4 The exact cause of KLS is unknown, although researchers suggest that it may be genetic or the result of an illness or injury that damages the hypothalamus. GoodIdeas – What causes KLS? The exact cause is unknown, although researchers suggest that it may be genetic or the result of an illness or injury that damages the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for regulating sleep. There is speculation that the disorder, which often develops after people become symptomatic for an infectious disease, is an autoimmune reaction in which the body mistakes brain tissue for an invader, according to a 2005 study. KLS can be triggered by: Infection Substance use Head trauma Physical exertion Stress Memory recall during an episode is limited. Patients may be able to eat and use the bathroom, but as a consequence of their extreme exhaustion, they struggle with physical function beyond these basic behaviors. 4 Therapy is often recommended alongside other KLS treatments to help patients manage symptoms of hypersexuality, anxiety, and depression. Chanelle2000/ – 'When it comes to relationships with friends, family, school is a big one: I lose everything when I'm in an episode,' one KLS patient previously shared. After an episode, normal behavior and sleep routines resumes. KLS treatment Treatment for KLS includes medications like lithium, IV steroids, and/or stimulants to reduce episode frequency, length, and severity. Therapy is often recommended alongside these treatments to help patients manage symptoms of hypersexuality, anxiety and depression.
National Post
24-04-2025
- Health
- National Post
Your mind really can go blank when you're awake. Here's what happens in your brain
The human mind really can go blank during consciousness, according to a new review that challenges the assumption people experience a constant flow of thoughts when awake. Article content Article content Instead, there are moments when the human mind seems empty of any content, and people seemingly aren't thinking of anything at all. Article content 'Mind blanking' is a newly explored and distinct mental state that isn't the same as a lapse of attention or a wandering mind, the research team writes. People aren't thinking about something else. Article content Article content Article content Mind blanking is a common, daily life phenomenon linked to changes in states of arousal, the researchers report, and tends to occur towards the end of long and demanding attention tasks like exams, when people are sleep deprived or after an intense workout. Meaning that, 'when the brain is in a high- or low-arousal state, a mind blank is more likely to occur.' Article content In experiments with healthy volunteers, the brain shows signs of 'deactivation' and an increase in sleep-like slow brain waves during a reported mind blank. Heart rates and pupil sizes decrease. A part of the brain appears asleep, 'which may represent a state of 'local sleep' rather than outright sleep,' the researchers write. Article content The experience has been described as a 'lack of conscious awareness,' they noted, during which 'the individual is not focally aware of any stimuli, either internal or external,' a particularly dangerous state if it occurs during high-risk, inopportune moments, like driving. Article content It may be the result of glitches in memory, language or attention. In experiments, people report feeling sleepier, and more sluggish, and they make more errors on attention tasks moments before their minds go 'nowhere.' Article content Article content While some people never report mind blanking, adults and children with ADHD (attention deficient hyperactivity disorder) report the experience more frequently than 'neurotypical people,' the researchers said. Article content Article content 'Mind going blank' is also one of the core symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. It's also related to strokes, seizures, traumatic brain injuries and an 'ultra-rare' sleep disorder (Kleine-Levin syndrome) that affects primarily teenage boys and that causes them to sleep up to 20 hours a day. Article content It's not entirely clear what these 'blanks' represent, they said. However, 'We sought to better understand mind blanking by parsing through 80 relevant research articles — including some of our own in which we recorded participants' brain activity when they were reporting that they were 'thinking of nothing,'' Athena Demertzi, of the University of Liege, Belgium, said in a press release. Article content If scientists can better understand what's happening in the brain, and if people could learn how to deliberately, instead of randomly, not think about anything, it could be an interesting strategy for dealing with anxiety, negative thoughts or other unpleasant emotions, lead author Thomas Andrillon, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Paris Brain Institute, said in an interview with National Post.
Vancouver Sun
24-04-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Your mind really can go blank when you're awake. Here's what happens in your brain
Article content The human mind really can go blank during consciousness, according to a new review that challenges the assumption people experience a constant flow of thoughts when awake. Article content Instead, there are moments when the human mind seems empty of any content, and people seemingly aren't thinking of anything at all. Article content 'Mind blanking' is a newly explored and distinct mental state that isn't the same as a lapse of attention or a wandering mind, the research team writes. People aren't thinking about something else. Article content Article content Mind blanking is a common, daily life phenomenon linked to changes in states of arousal, the researchers report, and tends to occur towards the end of long and demanding attention tasks like exams, when people are sleep deprived or after an intense workout. Meaning that, 'when the brain is in a high- or low-arousal state, a mind blank is more likely to occur.' Article content In experiments with healthy volunteers, the brain shows signs of 'deactivation' and an increase in sleep-like slow brain waves during a reported mind blank. Heart rates and pupil sizes decrease. A part of the brain appears asleep, 'which may represent a state of 'local sleep' rather than outright sleep,' the researchers write. Article content The experience has been described as a 'lack of conscious awareness,' they noted, during which 'the individual is not focally aware of any stimuli, either internal or external,' a particularly dangerous state if it occurs during high-risk, inopportune moments, like driving. Article content Article content It may be the result of glitches in memory, language or attention. In experiments, people report feeling sleepier, and more sluggish, and they make more errors on attention tasks moments before their minds go 'nowhere.' Article content Article content While some people never report mind blanking, adults and children with ADHD (attention deficient hyperactivity disorder) report the experience more frequently than 'neurotypical people,' the researchers said. Article content 'Mind going blank' is also one of the core symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. It's also related to strokes, seizures, traumatic brain injuries and an 'ultra-rare' sleep disorder (Kleine-Levin syndrome) that affects primarily teenage boys and that causes them to sleep up to 20 hours a day. Article content 'The experience of a 'blank mind' is as intimate and direct as that of bearing thoughts,' the team of neuroscientists and philosophers write. Article content It's not entirely clear what these 'blanks' represent, they said. However, 'We sought to better understand mind blanking by parsing through 80 relevant research articles — including some of our own in which we recorded participants' brain activity when they were reporting that they were 'thinking of nothing,'' Athena Demertzi, of the University of Liege, Belgium, said in a press release.
