Lethargic sleep interesting facts. Incredibly interesting facts about lethargic sleep. Explanation of the term “lethargic sleep”

Lethargy is the body’s protective reaction to danger, genetically programmed and dating back to ancient forms of rest.

Many resulted from or were associated with life-threatening circumstances.

Suddenly falling into sleep, a person literally escapes from cruel reality, but he himself does not realize it.

About lethargy briefly

Causes of the attack There may be various factors:

• severe nervous stress,
• fainting,
• hysterical shock,
• fumes, etc.

Sleep duration can be different: several hours or tens of years.

The lethargic sleep of our compatriot Nadezhda Lebedina is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Nadezhda fell asleep in 1954 after a serious quarrel with her husband, and woke up 20 years later, and was absolutely healthy.

Hysterical lethargy or hibernation is what modern medicine calls this phenomenon.

And hysterical lethargy have nothing in common with each other.

An electroencephalogram showed that during the attack the patient slept for some time in real sleep; this form of sleep was called “sleep within a dream.”

The electroencephalograph records brain activity corresponding to the waking state, the brain reacts to external stimuli, but the sleeper does not wake up.

It is impossible to forcefully recover from an attack of lethargy, it ends as unexpectedly as it begins.

Sometimes the attack may recur several times.

In this case, the patient senses its approach based on characteristic signs. Since an attack is always caused by strong emotional stress or nervous shock, the autonomic nervous system reacts to it first:

• headaches,
• loss of strength,
• increased blood pressure and body temperature,
• increased heart rate,
• increased sweating.

A person feels as if he is doing hard physical work.

Mental trauma that causes an attack of lethargy can be very severe or completely insignificant: to people susceptible to hysteria, it even seems like the end of the world.

Patients unconsciously go to sleep, disconnecting from the outside world with its problems.

There was a real threat of being buried alive before the invention of the electroencephalograph, which recorded brain biocurrents,

This is not surprising, because in a severe form of the disease, the sleeping person does not show any signs of life, it is not for nothing that the meaning of the word lethargy is translated from Greek as "imaginary death" or "small life"

Nowadays in England there is still a law obliging morgues to have a bell so that the “dead person” who suddenly comes to life can announce his resurrection.

Lethargic sleep has occupied the human imagination for a long time..

• Pushkin’s dead princess, who lay under the wing of sleep, fresh and quiet, “that’s all.”

• The Sleeping Beauty from the fairy tale of the French poet Charles Perrault, The Bogatyr Stream A.K. Tolstoy - world literature abounds with poetic characters who have slept through the lethargic sleep of a decade, year or century. According to legend, Epimenides of Crete, an ancient Greek poet, slept for 57 years in the cave of Zeus.

The characters in fairy tales and poems are not much different from the lethargic sleep of patients in neurological clinics.

The difference from the Dead Princess is that they breathe, but very weakly, and their heart beats so quietly and rarely that they can but think about the death of the patient.

Characteristic signs of lethargic sleep

Decrease:

• physical manifestations of life,
• metabolism,
• heart rate, breathing rate, pulse rate,
• lack of response to pain and sound.

For a long time, a person does not eat or drink, loses weight, dehydration occurs, and there are no physiological functions.

There is also a case of long-term lethargy that occurred with preserved function of eating.

Mental development in a long lethargic sleep is inhibited. A six-year-old girl fell asleep in Buenos Aires and plunged into lethargy for 25 years. Waking up as a mature woman, she asked where her dolls were.

Lethargy often stops the process of physical aging. Beatrice Hubert, a resident of Brussels, slept for twenty years. Awakening from sleep, she was as young as she had been before her lethargy. True, this miracle did not last long; in a year she made up for her physical age - she aged 20 years.

Cases of lethargic sleep

During the First World War, soldiers and some residents of front-line cities could not be awakened.

Mario Tello, a nineteen-year-old Argentinean, heard about the assassination of her idol, President Kennedy, and fell asleep for seven years.

A similar story happened to one official in India. Bopalkhand Lodha, the Public Works Minister of Jodhpur State has been removed from his post due to circumstances unknown to him. He demanded an investigation from the state government, but the resolution of his issue was delayed for one and a half months.

All this time Bopalkhand lived in a constant state and suddenly fell into a lethargic sleep that lasted seven years. During sleep, Lodha never opened his eyes, did not speak, and lay as if dead.

He was given proper care: food and vitamins were supplied through rubber tubes inserted into his nostrils, his body was turned over every half hour to avoid blood stagnation, and his muscles were massaged.

Perhaps he would have slept longer if it had not been for malaria. The temperature rose on the first day of illness to forty degrees, and the next day dropped to 35. The former minister moved his fingers that day, soon opened his eyes, and a month later he was able to turn his head and sit on his own.

Only six months later his vision returned, and he finally recovered from lethargy a year later. Six years later, he celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday.

In the 14th century, Francesco Petrarch, an Italian poet, became seriously ill and fell into a lethargic sleep for several days. He was considered dead as he showed no signs of life. During the burial ceremony, the poet comes to life literally at the edge of the grave. He was then forty years old, and for another thirty he lived and worked happily.

Milkmaid Kalinicheva Praskovya from the Ulyanovsk region began to suffer from periodic bouts of lethargy since 1947, when her husband was arrested after their wedding. The fear that she would not be able to provide for the child alone pushed her to have an abortion from a healer. Neighbors reported her, and Praskovya was arrested and exiled to Siberia - at that time abortions were prohibited.

There she had her first attack while working. The guards decided that she had died. But the doctor, having examined Kalinicheva, stated that the woman had fallen into a lethargic sleep, that this was her body’s protective reaction to the stress and hard work she had experienced.

After returning to her native village, Praskovya gets a job on a farm; attacks overtake her in a club, in a store, at work. The villagers were so accustomed to her strange behavior that they immediately took the fallen woman to the hospital.

Lethargic sleep is a deviation, a specific state, similar in appearance to deep sleep. In this case, a subject who has fallen into lethargy does not show reactions to stimuli from the outside. This condition resembles a coma. All vital signs are intact, but it is impossible to wake the person. In severe cases, imaginary death may occur, characterized by a drop in body temperature, a slowing of the heartbeat and the disappearance of respiratory movements. Today, the concept in question is considered a fictitious condition, mainly described in artistic creations and differing from coma in the preservation of vital organ functions. However, it has long been no secret that the human body cannot survive for a long period without drinking. That is why maintaining vital functions in a prolonged state of unconsciousness is impossible without medical assistance.

An individual in the described state is immobilized and does not show reactions to external stimuli. At the same time, vital activity is preserved. Breathing becomes slow, the pulse is almost impossible to feel, and the heartbeat is also barely noticeable.

The term “lethargy” itself came into use from Latin. "Lethe" means "oblivion." This word is familiar to many from the mythological works of antiquity, where the kingdom of the dead and the Lethe River flowing through it are mentioned. According to legends, the deceased who drank water from this source forget everything that happened to them in their worldly life. The word "argia" means "numbness." There have been known cases of lethargic sleep in history, so in ancient times it was irrational to be buried alive.

The Duke of Mecklenburg in the distant 18th century in his own possessions in Germany forbade burying the dead immediately after death. He decided that from the moment of death to the moment of burial it is necessary to wait three days. 3 days should have passed from this date. After some time, this rule spread throughout the continent.

In the 19th century, master undertakers developed special “safe” coffins that allowed a person who had been mistakenly buried to live for some time and even signal his own awakening. So, for example, most often the pipe was brought out of the coffin to the surface of the earth so that the clergy who regularly visit the graves could hear the call of the subject buried alive. In addition, through such a tube the smell of a corpse was supposed to come out if the person was not buried alive. Therefore, if, after a certain time, there was no smell of decomposition, then the grave had to be opened.

Today, most European countries have developed many ways to avoid burying a person alive. For example, in Slovakia they put a telephone in the coffin of the deceased so that the subject, if he suddenly wakes up, has the opportunity to call and thereby avoid a terrible death, and in Great Britain a bell is used for this purpose.

Physiologist I. Pavlov examined and studied examples of lethargic sleep. He examined a man who had been in a state of lethargy for 22 years, who, after waking up, said that he was aware of what was happening, heard, but he could not react, speak or make a movement. Official medicine recorded the longest episode of lethargic sleep in Dnepropetrovsk. 34-year-old N. Lebedina went to bed after a family conflict, and woke up only after 20 years.

Examples of lethargic sleep can also be found in literary works such as “Premature Burial” and “Sleeping Beauty.” The earliest mention of lethargy is found in the Bible.

Lethargic sleep today remains a mysterious and poorly studied phenomenon. The reasons why subjects enter this state are unknown. Some people tend to look for reasons in magic or the intervention of something otherworldly. It is easier for people to blame supernatural forces or deny the possibility of existence when they do not understand something.

Causes of lethargic sleep

There are known cases of lethargic sleep that occurs after a person has suffered a serious shock or stress. Also, this condition can occur in people who are on the verge of serious nervous or physical exhaustion. More often, lethargy occurs in women with high emotionality, prone to. According to the theory of psychologists, a wonderful world of oblivion awaits those with excessive emotionality. For them, a state of lethargy is a place where fears, stress and unresolved problems do not exist. Chronic fatigue syndrome can also be a cause of lethargy.

The described condition is also caused by some illnesses that injure the nervous system, for example, lethargic encephalitis. It is believed that lethargy is caused by the occurrence of a pronounced widespread and deep inhibitory process localized in the subcortex of the brain. The most common factors that give rise to the described condition include severe mental shock and severe exhaustion (for example, due to serious blood loss due to childbirth). In addition, it is possible to artificially put the subject into a lethargic state through.

Symptoms and signs of lethargic sleep

The disorder in question has symptoms that are not varied. The individual sleeps, but physiological processes, such as the need for food, water, and others do not disturb him. Metabolism during lethargy is reduced. Also, the person has a complete lack of response to external stimuli.

According to modern concepts, lethargy is a serious illness characterized by several clinical manifestations. Before falling into lethargic sleep, a person experiences a sudden inhibition of the functioning of organs and metabolic processes. Breathing becomes impossible to determine visually. In addition, the individual stops responding to noise or light effects, or to pain.

People who are in a lethargic state do not age. At the same time, after awakening, they quickly make up for their biological years.

Relatively conventionally, all cases of the described condition can be divided into mild lethargy and severe. It is quite difficult to distinguish between them, as well as to note the moment of transition from a mild stage to a severe one. It is known that in individuals who are in lethargic sleep, the ability of what is happening, analysis and memory function are preserved, but there is no ability to react to what is happening.

Mild forms of lethargy are characterized by immobility of the patient, even breathing, relaxed muscles, and a slight drop in temperature. The ability to swallow and chewing function are preserved, physiological functions are also preserved. This form resembles ordinary deep sleep.

Features of the severe form of lethargy include: muscle hypotonia, lack of response to external stimulation, pallor of the epidermis, decreased blood pressure, absence of individual reflexes, difficulty in feeling the pulse, a strong drop in temperature, lack of need for nutrition and physiological functions, arrest of mental development, dehydration of the body.

What is the difference between lethargic sleep and coma? The disorder in question and coma are two dangerous illnesses that often lead to death. Moreover, if an individual is in one of the described states, doctors are unable to provide a time frame for recovery or guarantees of recovery. This is where the similarity between these disorders ends.

Lethargy is a serious illness characterized by a slowdown in metabolism, loss of response to external stimuli, and light and difficult breathing. This condition can last for several decades.

Coma is an acute pathological condition characterized by the absence, suppression of the vital functions of the nervous system, a malfunction in the functioning of the body (respiratory disorder, circulatory disorders, and metabolic abnormalities occur). The duration of stay in this state cannot be determined. It is also impossible to say with certainty whether an individual will regain consciousness or die.

The difference between the ailments under consideration is the way out of them. The individual emerges from lethargy on his own. He's just waking up. A person who has fallen into a lethargic sleep must be provided with parenteral feeding. It should be turned over, washed, and waste products removed in a timely manner. To bring patients out of coma, drug therapy, the use of special equipment and specific methods are required. If an individual who has fallen into a comatose state is not provided with timely resuscitation measures and life support is not provided, then he will die.

An individual, while in lethargic sleep, breathes independently, even when breathing is imperceptible. At the same time, his body continues to function normally. In a comatose state, everything happens differently: the body’s vital functions are disrupted, as a result of which its functioning is ensured by special equipment.

Treatment of lethargic sleep

In order to distinguish lethargy from death, it is necessary to conduct an electrocardiography or electroencephalogram. The person's torso should also be carefully examined for injuries that clearly indicate incompatibility with life or obvious signs of death (rigor mortis). In addition, you can check for capillary bleeding using a small incision.

The therapeutic strategy must be purely individual. The violation in question does not imply hospitalization of the patient. It is enough if the individual is under the supervision of relatives. A person in a state of lethargy, first of all, should be provided with adequate living conditions in order to minimize the occurrence of side effects after awakening. Care involves placing a person in a ventilated and thoroughly cleaned separate room, parenteral feeding (or through a tube), hygiene procedures (the patient must be washed, anti-bedsore measures must be taken). It is also necessary to monitor the temperature. If it is cold indoors, a person should be covered. In hot weather, try to avoid overheating.

In addition, since there is a version that an individual in a lethargic sleep hears everything that is happening, it is recommended to talk to him. You can tell him about the events that happened during the day, read literature or sing songs. The main thing is to try to fill his existence with positive feelings.

If there is a significant decrease in blood pressure, injection of caffeine is indicated. Immunotherapy may sometimes be needed.

Due to the lack of complete information about the etiological factor of the disease in question, it is impossible to develop a unified therapeutic strategy and preventive measures. The available data only allows us to understand that in order to avoid a state of lethargy, it is necessary to avoid exposure to stressors and strive for a healthy existence.

Marina SARYCHEVA

“After severe suffering, death or a state that was considered death occurred... All the usual signs of death were revealed. His face became haggard, his features became sharper. Lips became whiter than marble. The eyes became cloudy. Rigor has set in. The heart didn't beat. She lay there like that for three days, and during this time her body became hard as stone.”

You, of course, recognized Edgar Allan Poe’s famous story “Buried Alive”?

In the literature of the past, this plot - the burial of living people who fell into a lethargic sleep (translated as “imaginary death” or “small life”) - was quite popular. Famous masters of words turned to him more than once, describing with great drama the horror of awakening in a gloomy crypt or in a coffin. For centuries, the state of lethargy has been shrouded in an aura of mysticism, mystery and horror. The fear of falling into a lethargic sleep and being buried alive was so common that many writers became hostages of their own minds and suffered from a psychological illness called taphophobia. Let's give a few examples.

F. Petrarch. The famous Italian poet, who lived in the 14th century, became seriously ill at the age of 40. One day he lost consciousness, he was considered dead and was about to be buried. Fortunately, the law of that time prohibited burying the dead earlier than one day after death. The predecessor of the Renaissance woke up after a sleep that lasted 20 hours, almost near his grave. Much to the surprise of everyone present, he said that he felt great. After this incident, Petrarch lived for another 30 years, but all this time he experienced incredible fear at the thought of being accidentally buried alive.

N.V. Gogol. The great writer was afraid that he would be buried alive. It must be said that the creator of Dead Souls had some reasons for this. The fact is that in his youth Gogol suffered malarial encephalitis. The disease made itself felt throughout his life and was accompanied by deep fainting followed by sleep. Nikolai Vasilyevich feared that during one of these attacks he might be mistaken for dead and buried. In the last years of his life, he was so frightened that he preferred not to go to bed and slept sitting up so that his sleep would be more sensitive.

However, in May 1931, when the cemetery of the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, where the great writer was buried, was destroyed in Moscow, during the exhumation those present were horrified to discover that Gogol’s skull was turned to one side. However, modern scientists refute the writer’s basis for lethargic sleep.

W. Collins. The famous English writer and playwright also suffered from taphophobia. As relatives and friends of the author of the novel “The Moonstone” say, he experienced such severe torment that every night he left a “suicide note” on his table by his bed, in which he asked to be 100% sure of his death and only then bury his body.

M.I. Tsvetaeva. Before her suicide, the great Russian poetess left a letter asking her to carefully check whether she really died. Indeed, in recent years, her taphophobia has worsened greatly.

In total, Marina Ivanovna left three suicide notes: one of them was intended for her son, the second for the Aseevs, and the third for the “evacuees,” those who would bury her. It is noteworthy that the original note to the “evacuees” was not preserved - it was seized by the police as evidence and then lost. The paradox is that it contains a request to check whether Tsvetaeva has died and whether she is not in a lethargic sleep. The text of the note to the “evacuees” is known from the list that the son was allowed to make.

Lethargic sleep remains an unsolved puzzle to this day. It is also called “lazy death” or “slow life”. Scientific studies of this phenomenon have not brought definitive results. There are still more questions than answers regarding the cause, prevention, and treatment of the disease. Modern medicine is able to detect and identify an abnormal condition in a timely manner. But “awakening” the patient is still impossible.

The thrill of the unknown and incomprehensible once helped cavemen to exist in harsh prehistoric conditions. As humanity developed, the topics of social and individual phobias changed. How not to fall into long-term oblivion is a fear that lurks in the subconscious of almost every modern person. In the past, lethargic sleep was a real problem and widespread. Frequent mass epidemics gave rise to many prejudices. There is a hypothesis that clinical sleep gave rise to all sorts of myths about the living dead.

It is important to know! Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive. Many famous personalities survived him: George Washington, Marina Tsvetaeva, Alfred Nobel, Nikolai Gogol.

“The sleep of reason gives birth to monsters,” a well-known phraseology finds repeated historical confirmation.

Here are just some interesting facts on the topic of lethargic sleep:

• Common healing methods were: exorcism sessions, immersion in ice water, applying a hot iron to the feet, and electric shock. All of the above manipulations had no therapeutic effect, and sometimes ended in the death of the sufferer.
• The honorary position was that of the caretaker of the cemetery. His duties included periodically monitoring the area for “revival.” Screams and blows from the ground were a kind of “message” and served as the reason for extricating the “dead”.
• Human resourcefulness knows no bounds. In the past, due to the lethargic “boom”, the production of “safe coffins” expanded. Everything ingenious is simple - a box with a tube on top allowed the “revived” one to seek timely help. Adolf Gutsmon at one time broke the mold by inventing a coffin with an internal food supply. I tested it myself, having dined on sausages and beer inside.

It is not surprising that most of the “saved” people lost their minds. Statistics have preserved a lot of examples when people began to live in a cemetery and “attribute” supernatural abilities to themselves.

Explanation of the term “lethargic sleep”

What is lethargic sleep? Translated from ancient Greek, lethargy means oblivion and inaction. This is a pathological condition characterized by a strong slowdown in the functioning of the body. There are two forms: light and heavy.

The first option cannot be called a dream, although its external manifestation resembles it:

• breathing is even;
• the heart works without changes;
• It takes a lot of effort for the patient to wake up.

The second option can easily be mistaken for death. Since there are practically no external differences:

• the pulse rate is minimal - about 3 beats per minute;
• breathing is not audible;
• the skin lacks natural pigment and is cold to the touch.

The duration of the disease varies. There are cases when the hours of “oblivion” were extended for decades.

Features of the phenomenon

Lethargy can be a symptom of CFS. Chronic fatigue syndrome is pathological fatigue that does not disappear even after a long rest. Increased emotional stress and low physical activity provoke the onset of the disease. Potential patients are all residents of large cities, businessmen, health workers, air traffic controllers, and logisticians. Characterized by depression, apathy, partial memory loss, attacks of anger, and aggressive behavior.

More about the signs

Lethargic sleep is not coma, not narcolepsy or epidemic encephalitis. Over time, doctors learned to tell the difference. Despite the similarity of symptoms, the listed diagnoses are different and require special treatment.

Coma is a serious illness that progresses and is characterized by loss of consciousness, disruption of the central nervous system, and poor breathing. A person has no reactions to external stimuli or reflexes. They always enter a coma as a result of severe complications of the disease, or as a result of severe brain damage. Unlike lethargy, where vital processes are slowed down but continue, coma requires permanent medical support of body functions.

It is important to know! People who fall into lethargic hibernation do not age, and, upon awakening, can boast of excellent health. True, having begun an active life, a person quickly feels age-related changes. Because time is “catching up.”

The consequences of coma are often sad: the patient either dies or remains disabled. Rare facts indicate a successful outcome when the patient talks about the details of the “afterlife.”

Causes of the condition

No scientist can name the exact causes of lethargic sleep. But researchers agree that this condition appears under the influence of severe stress, which the body cannot cope with, and therefore falls into a mode of maximum “energy conservation.” There is an assumption that the culprit is an unknown virus, as a result of which the European population “suffered” at the dawn of the 20th century.

The most attentive doctors suspected a connection between frequent sore throats and severe forgetfulness. As a result, mutated staphylococcus was named as the suspected cause.

There are many versions, but all studies agree on one thing: the development of a deep inhibitory process in the brain causes lethargy.

Duration

The illness can last from several hours to months. At one time, the record was set by Ivan Kachalkin, which made him famous in scientific circles. He had a lethargic dream for 22 years. The patient was under the supervision of I.P. Pavlova. A well-known academician described the details: “The state of a living corpse without movements and minimal external manifestations.” The bedridden patient was fed with a tube, and by the age of sixty the patient was able to go to the restroom and sometimes feed himself.

Awakening and consequences

Modern medicine has not yet invented a way to awaken from the “slow life”. No one can predict when the patient will wake up. True, Indian yogis know how to fall into lethargic sleep and come out of it arbitrarily. Unfortunately, most people do not have this degree of enlightenment.

Usually the awakened person is healthy, but retains in his memory the day the illness began. A real case occurred in Latin America: a girl slept from six years to twenty-three. After waking up, I immediately began to play with dolls, since my mental memory remained in childhood. The famous poet Petrarch died only 30 years after his lethargic sleep. During these years, the life of the legendary personality was fruitful, he even managed to receive a laurel wreath as a reward.

Death and lethargic sleep: how to distinguish

Today, the fear of being buried alive has no serious basis. The occurrence of lethargic sleep is being thoroughly studied by doctors. Using special devices, the brain and heart activity of the body is analyzed. The totality of the results may indicate the presence of “life”. Then doctors carefully examine the person’s torso, recognize damage to important organs, and exclude signs of tissue decay. The third stage is blood testing (flow strength, chemical analysis). If a medical examination determines the presence of lethargy, the patient is sent for treatment.

Home care or hospital

Whether the patient stays at home or is under the direct supervision of medical staff is decided by close relatives based on their real strengths and capabilities. There is no need for clinical intervention.

Treatment is symptomatic, so an important component of care is the organization of feeding (“from a spoon” or through an umbrella) and careful hygiene of the patient.

Advice! Often those who awaken note that during sleep they can perfectly hear surrounding sounds. Therefore, those closest to you are advised to talk with the patient more often. A positive aspect of the “lazy death” syndrome is the absence of danger to life.

Real descriptions of cases of lethargy

Various cases of lethargic sleep and further awakening are striking in their drama. Some are worthy of becoming an interesting plot of a thriller, horror or comedy:

• France, 19th century, the head of the family loses consciousness in a rich house. The doctor confirmed death. The closest relatives wanted to divide the inheritance without putting the matter on the back burner. The process turned into a huge scandal, during which even the “deceased” was not spared. What a surprise it was when the deceased sat down in the coffin right in the middle of the funeral service and said that he had heard everything. The ending of the story remained a mystery.
• An example from the recent past: 2011, the city of Sevastopol. One of the local morgues was rented by a metal band to prepare for concerts. The place is ideal both in terms of style and sound insulation. One fine day, the guys tried especially hard and woke up a man who was considered a corpse. The rockers came running to the screams coming from the refrigerator and saved the unfortunate man. But we had to rehearse in a different place.
• A Norwegian woman fell asleep due to stress caused by childbirth. The disease lasted a long time. The woman woke up 20 years later, as young as she was at the time she passed out. An elderly man and an adult girl were sitting near the home bed. As it turned out - husband and daughter. Less than a year had passed before the awakened woman began to look in accordance with her age.

The world around us is still fraught with many mysteries. Let's hope that the human mind will eventually find the missing pieces of the “puzzle” and cope with the next task.

Conclusion

Lethargic sleep is a kind of “horror story”. Spending a certain period of your life in the “land of dreams” is not the best prospect. But an adult differs from a child in his ability to fight his own phobias. Excellent helpers in this matter are knowledge and common sense. Evolution in the field of medicine makes it possible to identify and diagnose lethargy. Emotional stability and an ironic attitude towards life are prerequisites for health and full-fledged activity.

Lethargic sleep is a rare sleep disorder. Its duration ranges from several hours to several days, much less often - up to several months. The longest lethargic sleep was recorded for Nadezhda Lebedina, who fell into it in 1954 and woke up only 20 years later. Other cases of prolonged lethargic sleep have been described. However, it should be noted that long-term lethargic sleep is extremely rare.

Causes of lethargic sleep

The causes of lethargic sleep have not yet been fully established. Apparently, lethargic sleep is caused by the occurrence of a pronounced deep and widespread inhibitory process in the subcortex and cerebral cortex. Most often it occurs suddenly after severe neuropsychic shocks, with hysteria, against the background of severe physical exhaustion (significant blood loss, after childbirth). Lethargic sleep ends as suddenly as it began.

Symptoms of lethargic sleep

Lethargic sleep is manifested by a pronounced weakening of the physiological manifestations of life, a decrease in metabolism, suppression of the reaction to stimuli or its complete absence. Cases of lethargic sleep can occur in both mild and severe forms.

In mild cases of lethargic sleep, a person is motionless, his eyes are closed, his breathing is even, stable and slow, his muscles are relaxed. At the same time, chewing and swallowing movements are preserved, the pupils react to light, the person’s eyelids “twitch”, and elementary forms of contact between the sleeper and surrounding persons can be preserved. Mild lethargic sleep resembles signs of deep sleep.

Lethargic sleep in severe form has more pronounced symptoms. There is severe muscle hypotonia, the absence of some reflexes, the skin is pale, cold to the touch, pulse and breathing are difficult to determine, there is no reaction of the pupils to light, blood pressure is reduced, and even strong painful stimuli do not cause a reaction in a person. Such patients do not drink or eat, and their metabolism slows down.

Lethargic sleep does not require any special treatment, but in any case of long sleep, the patient should be observed by a doctor and undergo a thorough examination. If necessary, symptomatic treatment is prescribed. Nutrition is carried out with easily digestible food rich in vitamins; if it is not possible to feed the person naturally, the nutritional mixture is administered through a tube. The prognosis for lethargic sleep is favorable, there is no danger to the patient’s life.

Sleep or coma?

Lethargic sleep should be distinguished from coma and a number of other conditions and diseases (narcolepsy, epidemic encephalitis). This is especially important since the approaches to their treatment differ significantly.