Monday, September 5, 2011

Sleeping Beauty Real Story (KLS or Kleine-Levin Syndrome)

This is the sleeping beauty real story (KLS or Kleine-Levin Syndrome) also known as recurrent hypersomnia where a person sleeps for long periods of time which can be the result of many sleep disorders. In the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, a princess sleeps for 100 years under the curse of an evil witch and a handsome prince comes along to kiss her and breaks the spell. Often it starts with flu-like symptoms with a high fever and just like the fairy tale’s poisoned splinter the sleeping curse begins. This is what happened to a 17 year old from Worthing, England named Louisa Ball. She wouldn’t stop sleeping for 10 to 14 days, only awoken to eat and take bathroom breaks. She missed school, dance classes, birthdays and holidays. Kleine-Levin Syndrome is an incurable autoimmune disorder that disrupts the part of the brain that regulates appetite, sleep and libido. More often than not it afflicts males and usually begins with a virus during preteen and teenage years that trigger sleep and aggressiveness. According to experts, those suffering from KLS syndrome can grow out of it in 10 to 12 years.

What if you teenager is not getting enough sleep? See: How Much Sleep Should a Teenager Get

[caption id="attachment_1556" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Sleeping beauty Syndrome Real Story"][/caption]

Whatever you want to label it, Sleeping beauty disease, recurrent hypersomnia or KLS, it is a neurological condition with recurring periods of excess amounts of sleep and behavioral changes. Hypersomnia symptoms include anxiety, increased irritation, decreased energy, restlessness, slow thinking or speech, loss of appetite, hallucinations and lack of concentration. Recurrent hypersomnia or KLS is very rare and even though your teen may sleep up to eighteen hours a day many still do not wake up feeling refreshed. Hypersomnia causes are relatively unknown but the onset of an episode is when they develop irritability, weariness, disorientation and even hallucinate. Once they are sleeping arousal is someone delicate as most show signs of aggression when they are not allowed to sleep and often remain in a delusional dream-like state.

Hypersomnia treatment begins with eliminating other sleep disorders and health conditions like; hypothyroidism or diabetes that could be the cause for excessive sleeping. MS, bipolar disorder and psychiatric disorders are other conditions that mistakenly diagnosed among KLS patients. Patients are often given stimulants like; amphetamine, methylphenidate and modafinil to treat drowsiness, however they do not improve their mental state. If the patient shows signs of bipolar disorder and KLS carbamazepine or lithium are useful for lessening episodes. KLS in teen girls with PMS can be managed with hormonal birth control methods.

The real sleeping beauty story can be tough and many sufferers experience depression because they can’t control their daily lives, maintain a job, go to school or miss out on their teenage years. In several cases KLS subsides by the time they are in their twenties. Patients researched found that 90% outgrow the condition or episodes occur less frequently and are generally mild.

The content provided in Sleeping Beauty Real Story (KLS or Kleine-Levin Syndrome) is for information purposes only, intended to raise the awareness of different solutions for you or your families sleep problems and should not be considered medical advice. For medical diagnosis and treatment, please see your qualified health-care professional.

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