Do I have Sporadic Fatal Insomnia?
Last afternoon, I took a nap in the afternoon without incident. I woke up at about six, and went to bed at about one. I would lay there but couldn’t fall asleep until three-thirty, and it was an extremely light sleep. This afternoon, I tried to take a nap, but couldn’t.
This year, I’ve had maybe two major sleepless nights including last night.
I’m very worried I might have contracted Sporadic Fatal Insomnia because it just feels like I’ve lost the ability to fall asleep. Does this sound like a case? I’m only nineteen; I don’t want to die!
You don’t have it:
The age of onset is variable, ranging from 30 to 60, with an average of 50. However the disease tends to prominently occur in later years, primarily following childbirth. Death usually occurs between 7 and 36 months from onset. The presentation of the disease varies considerably from person to person, even among patients from within the same family.
The disease has four stages, taking 7 to 18 months to run its course:
1.The patient suffers increasing insomnia, resulting in panic attacks, paranoia, and phobias. This stage lasts for about four months.
2.Hallucinations and panic attacks become noticeable, continuing for about five months.
3.Complete inability to sleep is followed by rapid loss of weight. This lasts for about three months.
4.Dementia, during which the patient becomes unresponsive or mute over the course of six months. This is the final progression of the disease, and the patient will subsequently die.
Here’s why:
1. You are too young for its beginning stages
2. If no one in your family has it, you most likely won’t get it
3. You have not been not sleeping long enough
Here is why you are not sleeping:
You are 19! Teneagers get/need less sleep to function. So you couldn’t take a nap, no big deal. So you had a few sleepless nights, if it keeps up for several months, then you might have regular insomnia. Otherwise, get over it. Try some relaxation before bed: deep breathing, yoga, reading, etc.
Stop looking up crazy, extremely rare diseases and sounding like a hypochondriac. You do not have sporadic fatal insomnia.
SLEEP
