7. Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder
The Circadian Sleep Disorders Network explains this is a neurological disorder that extends a person’s wake/sleep cycle beyond the usual 24-hours. “The person is unable to adjust his sleep/wake cycle to the length of the day, and his sleep time progresses around the clock,” it notes.
The disorder is particularly prominent in blind patients, and the source says it’s estimated to affect more than 50-percent of totally blind individuals. However, it can also occur in people with normal vision, “and these should be seen as two distinct disorders” because the underlying causes vary, it adds.
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8. Sleep Related Eating Disorder
CBS News says this disorder causes sufferers to grab a midnight snack, without being fully aware of what they’re doing. “It’s hard enough for some people to control their eating while awake, and for people with sleep-related eating disorder the bingeing doesn’t stop when the lights go out,” it notes.
Of course, the added problem is that those with this problem don’t tend to grab an apple or celery when they’re sleep-snacking – they go right for the most calorie and sugar-rich foods, adds the source.
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9. Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome
You’ve probably heard of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and this is somewhat similar but for adults. According to Klova, when it happens to someone as an adult or adolescent it’s known as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) or sudden adult death syndrome or sudden unexpected/unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUDS). The same source notes that prior to it happening, patients will “scream, moan, and froth at the mouth just before death occurs and it’s impossible to wake them up.” It truly sounds like something out of a horror film!
Experts aren’t sure why, but it seems to be more common in young Asian males and in the Philippines it’s referred to as bangungut which translates to “arise and moan.” Not surprisingly, there are many mythological theories behind it that are steeped in superstition. Sleep Junkies writes that it was first written about as a medical condition back in 1917 in the Philippines and then again in 1957 in Japan. The most famous documented causes were in groups of Hmong refugees who came to the United States from Northern Thailand and Laos. Since 1981 there have been over 100 cases of it happening in the U.S.
Of course, there is a scientific explanation behind it. Research by Dr. Joseph Brugada found that there’s a genetic link behind who it happens to and the cause of death is actually heart failure. It’s still unclear why it happens during sleep though.