Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

Sleeping beauty syndrome, or Kleine-Levin syndrome, is a rare condition that causes long periods of sleep, and it typically resolves on its own.

Sleeping beauty syndrome

Sleeping beauty syndrome is a sleeping condition that causes the patient to sleep for long periods of time intermittently.

KLS can affect anyone, but it mostly affects men, and it’s an exceedingly rare condition.

Causes of sleeping beauty syndrome

• There isn’t a known reason behind sleeping beauty syndrome, and most cases appear after having a disease that’s similar to an infection like the flu.
• It’s thought that KLS occurs as a result of damage in the area of the brain that’s responsible for regulating sleep.
• Kleine-Levin syndrome can be triggered by flu-like infections, head trauma, stress, physical exertion, and drug and alcohol use.

Symptoms of sleeping beauty syndrome

Symptoms of sleeping beauty syndrome typically begin in early adolescence, and the sleeping episodes decrease in severity and frequency over time (on average, 14 years). The symptoms include:

• Episodes of sleeping 16-20 hours a day over 2-14 days. The patient may wake up during the episode and return to sleep. In most of the cases, the patient struggles with remembering what occurs during the episode after waking up.
• Severe sleepiness and not being able to stay awake.
• Hallucinations.
• Irritability.
• Behavioral changes.
• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Confusion.
• Memory loss.
• Polyphagia.
• Increased sex drive.

Diagnosis of sleeping beauty syndrome

There isn’t a specific test to diagnose sleeping beauty syndrome, and the diagnosis process is done by eliminating other possible conditions through the following tests:

• Sleep test.
• Memory tests.
• Blood tests.
• Imaging tests.

Treatment of sleeping beauty syndrome

There isn’t a specific treatment for sleeping beauty syndrome, and the patient doesn’t take any medication in most of the cases. Some treatments include:

• Lithium, which may decrease the recurrence of the episodes.
• IV steroids, which may shorten the episodes that last more than 30 days.
• Stimulants that help in preventing sleepiness.