A woman in the UK has got a unique nickname – ‘real-life Sleeping beauty’ – owing to her rare medical condition that makes her fall asleep for about 22 hours a day. Identified to be Joanna Cox, the woman hails from Castleford, according to a report by Mirror UK. The 38-year-old suffers from an unusual condition namely idiopathic hypersomnia, a disorder that makes people heavy-eyed even after a full night of good sleep. The woman who is currently unemployed told the publication that her sleeping disorder is ruining her life as she cannot determine how long she has been asleep or what day it is.
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It was back in 2017 when Cox noticed she was feeling unnaturally tired at all times which made it impossible for her to get through the day without a nap. The woman claims that it began out of nowhere and the reason that trigged the condition yet remains unclear. Soon after, Cox began finding herself asleep at random places even while driving a car. She has faced several embarrassing moments so far including getting kicked out of a bar because a bouncer assumed she was drunk and passed out.
To find the cure for her problem, she took help from a doctor who ended up misdiagnosing her condition to be depression. It was quickly ruled out when the woman did not exhibit any other symptom other than feeling unnaturally tired. After years of consulting doctors, finally, in October 2021, a medical practitioner referred her to visit a sleep clinic. Located at Pontefract Hospital in Yorkshire, the doctors diagnosed her with idiopathic hypersomnia. Even though she has tried multiple treatments, Cox hasn’t found a cure yet since it doesn’t exist yet.
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The British woman’s condition has worsened over time and now she struggles to stay awake for more than a few hours. “One day recently, I was awake for 12 hours and that was the longest I’ve been awake in nearly six years. The shortest is usually just a few minutes, enough time to wake up, have a drink and then fall back to sleep again,” she revealed. She had to eventually quit her job in 2019 and her fatigue has worsened to a point that she once even had to miss her flight to Spain, a vacation she planned with her daughters Isabelle, 18, and Caitlin 20. “I can’t work, I can’t drive and I can never make any plans because I don’t know if I’ll be awake,” added Cox.
She struggles with vivid hallucinations and horrific dreams while fighting to stay awake. Reportedly, she wakes up around 2 am early morning, when she walks her pets outside. Though she can wash and feed herself, the condition has nearly drained her mentally. She also documents her day-to-day struggle with the medical condition on her social media profile.
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