For this real-life sleeping beauty, the hours she spends snoozing can be a nightmare.
Delanie Weyer, 23, has a rare neurological disorder called Kleine-Levin Syndrome, which can leave her sleeping for weeks at a time.
Due to the condition, she has missed holidays, family celebrations and even her milestone 21st birthday.
“I sleep anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a day. When I am awake I’m very spacey, delusional, just not in touch with reality,” Weyer told news station WCOO. “I just have no motivation to do anything, very depressed feeling, really frustrated because I don’t know what’s going on.”
The episodes can last from a few days to a few weeks, with her latest lasting five weeks. During these bouts, she will only wake to eat, drink or go to the bathroom.
According to the Wyoming resident, she first experienced symptoms of the disorder when she was 18-years-old. Her mom initially suspected her daughter was on drugs.
“I’m the typical mom that would make her, force her to get up and she’s very irritable and again the blank stare and I question was she lying to me, was she being lazy, was she taking some kind of drug,” Jean Weyer told WCCO.
The condition, which is often referred to as “Sleeping Beauty Syndrome,” also can make patients irritable or hallucinate. There are only 500 documented cases worldwide, mostly occurring in teenage boys, according to the Kleine Levin Sydrome Foundation.
There is no cure for Kleine-Levin Syndrome, but medication can help alleviate the intensity and duration of the symptoms.
The 23-year-old said she hopes to promote awareness about the disorder.
“I can educate them, this is what I have. My episodes are not a choice,” she said.
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