3 year old has never slept!

[cheko1]

:slap: Geez I'd be in the nut ward if it was one of my kids!!!!
I watch my 3 yr old Granddaughter and welcome her naps!

 

[Floh]

I don't understand how his little body keeps going.
We need sleep so our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines...so everything can rest. Sleep has a purpose.
I doubt this precious little boy will live very long. His organs will simply give out.

Yes. unless something can be done, he will die soon.

 

[Floh]

I don't believe it

Me neither.

 

[Floh]

The news story claims he hasn't slept in 3 years. It's not possible, he would be dead.

Without question.

 

[southcitymom]

The story didn't have much info. So he's NEVER slept?? Ever? How is that even possible? I don't understand.

This is the way I feel. I find it hard to believe. Humans must sleep or we will die or go insane. Perhaps someone smarter than me can explain.

 

[AmandaBrown23]

You guys are absolutely right. I just took a psychology class and a man in the 1950s did a study on a teenage boy and after 3 days of him being awake he began to hallucinate, after that he could barely speak, he stayed awake for 11 days straight and its the world record so I dont know how this could be possible. Also it says that humans cannot stay awake more than 14 days and survive.

 

[JBean]

Maybe he can relax his body enough to create a substitue for the sleeping requirement.
What a horrible disorder.

 

[Salem]

I think the thing is that his brain is not "firing" right. Because of that, I think his lack of sleep is different for him, than it would be for us.

Salem

 

[Salem]

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/chiari.htm#What_is

Here is a link to more information about the disorder the little boy has. I did not read "no sleeping" just nuerological disorders. But I didn't read much of the site

Salem

 

[Zanko]

Sleep is such a complicated process that scientist still don't understand its purpose. There are so many aspects of sleep (and different kinds of sleep disorders). Just go check out sleep in Wikipedia. There are even a few examples of claims from people who reportedly hadn't slept in years. I can imagine that the pharmaceuticals are clamoring for test results from this child. If they can figure out a way to keep a person awake without ill affect, it'd be a multi-billion dollar discovery!

 

[reb]

i don't think i believe this. the media is putting a twist on it, do doubt. there is not a living thing on earth that can survive without shutting down on a regular basis to rest and recharge.

 

[dottierainbow]

http://www.techshout.com/general/2006/17/vietnamese-man-has-not-slept-since-the-last-33-years/
My son who's major is physcology told me about this man who is mentioned in his physcology book.

 

[Linda7NJ]

http://www.techshout.com/general/2006/17/vietnamese-man-has-not-slept-since-the-last-33-years/
My son who's major is physiology told me about this man who is mentioned in his psychology book.

I don't believe that either.

 

[txsvicki]

There was some disease mentioned a few years ago. The people began to be unable to sleep and did eventually die. I believe it was genetic and traced back through a certain family if I remember right.

 

[annemc2]

Oh yes, Txvicki - I remember that, too. I believe it was this

Fatal Familial Insomnia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

Sounds different than what this little boy has, though. How strange!

 

[SeekingJana]

This is somewhat inaccurate but still sad. The boy was born with Chiari malformation. While rare, I have 2 friends with it. They developed it as adults.
The brain drops down slightly into the foramen magnum which is the opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord attaches to the brain. In rare, fatal cases, the brainstem herniates completely.

In most cases, people have headaches, general malaise and sometimes seizures. Hydrocephalus is not uncommon.
This child MAY have a rare type of seizure disorder due the Chiari malformation which disrupts his wake/ sleep patterns but I'd bet money that he does sleep. His size looks OK for his age.
Some Chiari malformations are heriditary, and in adults, the tendency to develop them in the absence of other significant history is also heriditary.
Surgery is usually successful and is not extremely rare. It would be more dangerous in a small child than an adult, of course.

I hope he does well and I hope his parents learn all they can about Arnold- Chiari Malformation types I and II.

 

[PSUfan]

Me neither.

Me neither. Like others said, he would be dead. Impossible.

 

[LadyLuck]

I am not sure what to believe. IF he really has not slept in three years he would not be functioning. After so many days of no sleep your body gives out. I just do not understand how this could be true.

 

[shadowraiths]

Here are some interesting comments that have been posted to a blog regarding this case:

One, that I found esp interesting was this post by Chet Overton:

This article seems very suspect. There's really not much info in the article, but with an arnold chiari malformation (what this kid has), respiratory symptoms like sleep apnea is common. (...)

Another individual posted this link to another news article:

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/...ondition doesn't let St. Petersburg kid sleep

Which touches upon the situation a bit more. Perhaps it's just me, but imho, the mother's comments in the article raise all sorts of red flags.

"We take it day by day, hour by hour with him, minute by minute," said Rhett's father David Lamb. "Because one minute we don't know if he's going to be good or bad because of the mood he's going to be in."

[...]

"With sleep deprivation it really starts messing with your mind," Shannon said. "And a lot of behavioral issues he has once the sleep is taken care of we can start addressing the behavioral stuff."

 

[LionRun]

I believe that the story about this little boy may be true. I imagine that it is possible that it is a scam or hype. But, there are enough things about this that ring true--as bizarre as it may sound.

With Chiari Malformation, young Rhett's brain stem and just above it may be being forced down through the opening from his brain to his spinal column due to Chiari Malformation. The hypothalamus, which is responsible for several primitive functions is also responsible for our circadian rhythms. If there is pressure from compression from the area near to or within his hypothalamus it may result in the inability to sleep along with a host of other symptoms.

I saw one of the saddest documentaries I've ever seen about a man who could not sleep. He had the rare Fatal Familial Insomnia that has been mentioned here. I googled and found info about Michael Corke, the man in which the documentary I watched was about. Michael and his family suffered through this, and Michael inevitably didn't survive.

The video was real, and the man truly couldn't sleep even after being given high doses of IV anesthesia and not having slept for months. I would have had my doubts had I not watched that documentary. Much of it was filmed while he was in the hospital, but there was a scene where after having not slept for months he wanted to be there for the high school band one more time at a high school event. His students and his family loved him so much, and he seemed to have been a very, very nice man. It made me cry my eyes out that he didn't survive.

Here is a link that mentions Michael Corke and Fatal Familial Insomnia.

http://sleep-disorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_man_who_never_slept

Rhett Lamb and Michael Corke have/had completely different causes for complete, long term insomnia. I find it both fascinating yet very troubling and sad that anyone could go without sleep until they die. But, it does happen, albeit rarely.