There’s nothing like getting a good night’s snoozefest and waking up refreshed. On the other hand, losing sleep can cause even the sweetest person in the world to become an irritable grump-face. Sometimes, there just doesn’t seem to be enough coffee in the world to perk a person up.
Having a rough night or two is nothing compared to those suffering from one of these terrifying sleep disorders. I definitely don’t recommend reading these right before bedtime…
1.) Exploding Head Syndrome: People suffering from this are awoken an hour or two after falling asleep by a loud noise from their mind. Ranging from a gunshot to a scream, researchers still aren’t sure what causes it.
2.) Kleine-Levin Syndrome: This rare disease that causes sufferers to oversleep for up to 20 hours a day has been linked to appetite. There is no known cure.
3.) Sleep Paralysis: While either waking or falling asleep, the sufferer feels completely unable to move. Linked to anxiety disorders, narcolepsy, migraines, and obstructed sleep apnea, they often feel as if someone menacing is hovering over them or physically holding them down.
4.) Fatal Familial Insomnia: This extremely rare version of insomnia is fatal, as the name suggests, for those suffering. Death usually occurs within six to 32 months after symptoms arise. This condition impairs the thalamus in your brain and can also cause hallucinations and loss of motor function. It is hereditary, children of sufferers being 50 percent more likely to develop the disorder.
5.) Sexsomnia: Similar to sleep walking, those suffering from this disorder are able to perform sexual activity without realizing it while still asleep. It is more common in those already suffering from sleep walking.
6.) Non-24-Hour Sleep–Wake Disorder: Sufferers of this disorder feel as if they are in a constant state of jet lag, constantly feeling “out of it.” They are dealing with a longer circadian rhythm which causes a 25 or 26 hour sleep/awake cycle and is common among the blind.
7.) Narcolepsy: This disorder is caused by an autoimmune destruction of hypocretin-producing neurons in the brain disrupting the regulation of a person’s sleep/awake cycle. As a result, they are prone to falling asleep without warning at any time of day.
8.) Somnambulistic Eating: A nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder, sufferers don’t realize they’re spending their evenings eating second and third dinners until the eventual and unexplainable weight gain.
9.) REM-Sleep Behavior Disorder: Occurring during rapid-eye movement when your dreams are most vivid, this causes the sufferer to unconsciously physically act out what is happening their dreams. This type of parasomnia is thankfully treatable.
10.) Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome: This phenomena of literally sleeping yourself to death occurs mostly in young men and is more common in Southeast Asian areas. The cause is unknown, but some believe the victims’ hearts skip a beat and never start back up.
(via All Day.)
If you’re experiencing any sleep issues of your own, it’s probably a good idea to talk to your doctor before things get really bad. Sleeping isn’t just about dreaming about your crush and having nightmares about not wearing pants. It can be a serious issue.
