Nicole Delien, a teenager who slept for 64 days

There is a girl called Nicole Delien in Pennsylvania. She is just 17 years old and has probably slept the longest in her life – 64 days on the trot. Well, there is nothing to read between the lines. This is a literal meaning of what is being described here. It is actually a sleep disorder that makes the 17 year old girl sleep as many as 18-19 hours in a day.

If the reports in the Dailymail web site are to be believed, she once slept for as many as 64 days. It was unfortunately that period of the year when Thanksgiving and Christmas is generally celebrated. No wonder, the young lady missed both these occasions. The sleeping disorder is known as Kleine-Levine, and also ‘Sleeping Beauty Syndrome’.

The sleep disorder however, allows her to wake up for smaller time duration. During this period, she eats, goes to the bathroom and… and yes, falls fast asleep once again. But when she wakes up in between, she is in a confused state of mind. Nicole Delien has a sister and a brother. However, these two kids are normal and do not suffer from the same disorder as their sister does.

It was hard time for the family to figure out what made their daughter sleep for such a humongous time period in one go. It was not easy detecting the cause for the disorder. It was frustration spelt all over for the Delien family. However, after many unsuccessful attempts, it was some good luck for the Deliens.

The diagnosis finally was made at the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by a doctor. The doctor gave some suggestions that also included medical help to deal with the disorder. The sleeping disorder also robbed Nicole of a family trip to the Disney World apart from a chance of meeting pop singer Katy Perry.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER 2012