Girl Who Slept For 64 Days: Nicole Delien Has Kleine-Levin 'Sleeping Beauty' Syndrome

It's not uncommon for Nicole Delien, a Pennsylvania teenager who has a disorder called Kleine-Levine, to sleep for 18 or 19 hours at a time. But her illness, sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome," caused her to sleep for 64 days straight through Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"She's never really adjusted to it," Delien’s mother, Vicki Delien, told the Chartiers Valley Patch. "She's 17 now and it really upsets her. She's missed out on a lot."

Delien frequently falls under sleep spells and wakes up in a confused state while sleepwalking, the (U.K.) Daily Mail reported. Her mother said she typically sleeps 18 to 19 hours a day, wakes up to eat in a "sleepwalking state which she doesn’t remember."

The Delien family, who appeared on Jeff Probst’s syndicated talk show this week, said it took 25 months before Nicole was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin syndrome. Doctors first thought Delien had West Nile virus before discovering her rare sleeping disorder.

Eventually, Delien was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin syndrome at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

According to the Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation website, "affected individuals may go for a period of weeks, months or even years without experiencing any symptoms, and then they reappear with little warning."

"When awake, the patient’s whole demeanor is changed, often appearing “spacey” or childlike. When awake he experiences confusion, disorientation, complete lack of energy (lethargy), and lack of emotions (apathy)."

The condition normally affects males and the cause is unknown.

According to Delien's family, medications have helped spread her sleeping episodes apart. But she has slept anywhere from 32 to 64 days in a row, one time just before Thanksgiving and didn't wake up until well after Christmas. Nicole Delien said she also her family's first trip to Disney World and an opportunity to meet Katy Perry. However, when Perry was notified of Delien's disorder, she arranged for the girl to meet her backstage during a performance in Connecticut.

Delien said she hasn't had a sleeping incident stemmed from the disorder since March but is scared for the next episode.