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Health
The Family That Can’t Sleep
Sleep is vital to health. What if you couldn’t sleep?
What would happen if you could not sleep? We begin with the story of a family in Venice, Italy. Members suffer from an inherited condition, one that appears in middle age. In a phrase, they have their sleep stolen from them, developing holes in their brains and ultimately leading to their premature demise.
Today, we look at Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), a rare genetic degenerative brain disorder. We will then pivot to three myths about sleep.
Here is how the author of “The Family That Couldn’t Sleep: A Medical Mystery” describes one family member’s experience:
“Silvano began sweating profusely, with pinpoint pupils — he decided it was time for his family to stop suffering silently. Silvano traveled to the University of Bologna, where researchers filmed his last months. At times, his eyes are only half-open, staring off into space. Just as it seems he may fall asleep, he jerks to a half-wakefulness. In 1984, he died at 53 years of age.”
