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Seen At 11: 'Sleeping Beauty Syndrome' Can Keep Sufferers Out For Weeks At A Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Everyone loves a good night of sleep, but in some cases a single night can turn into days without a person waking up.

It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but this actually happens to people who have 'the sleep syndrome.'

"I've missed major life events," Delanie Weyer said. "I missed my 21st birthday."

When Weyer falls asleep she might not wake up or days, even weeks.

"I've missed Thanksgiving, Easter, my grandpa's 85th birthday," she said.

At first her mother Jean was not amused.

"Was she lying to me? Was she being lazy? Was she taking some kind of drug?" she wondered.

But after seeing a sleep specialist, Weyer was diagnosed with a condition commonly called "sleeping beauty syndrome."

"It is real. It is not precipitated by any psychiatric problems. It's not precipitated by not by bad behavior. It's not laziness. It is a brain dysfunction," Dr. Ranji Varghese explained.

The rare neurological disorder's clinical name is Kleine-Levin Syndrome.

"We don't know what really causes this. We have some ideas that it might be some sort of an inflammatory process in the brain, but no one's really been able to figure that out," Dr. Varghese said.

One of Weyer's episodes lasted five weeks. During that time she got up to grab a quick bite to eat or drink, and use the bathroom.

"When I was awake, I was delusional. I just have no motivation to do anything," she said.

"I'm the typical mom that would make her; force her to get up, and she's very irritable," Jean said.

A normal life, including holding down a job, can be almost impossible for those with Kleine-Levin.

Every night that Weyer closes her eyes, she may not open them again for days at a time. But at least now her mother knows why.

"It's likely that there is an end to the tunnel; that she will come out of it," Jean said.

The syndrome is rare -- affecting one in a million, mostly teens and young adults. Most people do eventually grow out of it.

In the meantime, Weyer is helping others including doctors get a better understanding of her condition.

"I can educate them. This is what I have. My episodes aren't a choice," she said.

While there is no cure, doctors said medication can decrease the number and intensity of episodes.

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