Normally, people will sleep for 7-9 hours a day. However, people with FFI have difficulty falling asleep in the long term periode. In the beginning, people with FFI experience mild insomnia but it gets worse and worse, causing physical and mental decline that can lead to death.
Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) is a relatively rare disease of prions, a type of protein that can cause other proteins in the brain to become abnormal. It is genetically inherited and primarily affects the thalamus, the part of the brain that controls the sleep cycle. FFI has no cure and involves worsening insomnia, leading to hallucinations, delirium and dementia-like confusion.
In Another Life is a fanfiction written by LittleLuxray on the Archieve of Our Own website. The characters in this story are Bokuto Koutaro and Akaashi Keiji who are taken from the anime character titled Haikyuu by Haruichi Furudate. It tells the story of Akaashi, who actually hates hospitals but has to go to the place for an internship because of his parents' insistence and meets Bokuto who Akaashi thought was an intern but later Akaashi found out was a patient with a rare disease called FFI.
This story illustrates some of the symptoms of FFI that will be discussed further in this post along with a quotation from the story.
"All I can say is that sleeping doesn't come as easily as it used to."
This quote describes the initial symptom of the disease, which is how a person has difficulty falling asleep normally. Basically, FFI is an acute form of insomnia.
He took several steps back to prepare himself for the toss. Mentally, he was more than ready to spike, but not so much physically.
The quote describes how a person with FFI will physically weaken over time due to not sleeping for several weeks. Lack of rest and sleep can lead to metabolic disorders such as changes in hormone activity and impaired blood glucose metabolism, causing a decline in physical condition.
Bokuto stared off in the distance from beyond the net, his face carrying a confused expression. After a moment, quietly, he spoke.
"They... Aren't really there, are they?" The words left his mouth reluctantly.
Akaashi glanced in the direction of where Bokuto was staring. No one. They were the only two in the gym.
The quote describes the next symptom where a person with FFI begins to experience hallucinations. Acute insomnia can affect thought function and the ability to distinguish reality from dreams or imagination. A person with FFI may also experience neurotransmitter disturbances that affect cognitive function and emotions that can lead to hallucinations.
Out there, the sickly one trembled like a new born animal, even with the extra jacket that Akaashi had offered him.
The quote describes how a person with FFI will feel sensitive to the weather or the air around them.
Bokuto would lay still for quite a while, his head tilted to the side with one hand on his stomach, and the other at his side. When he was like this, Bokuto would twitch awake again, his body jerking him from what little relaxation he tried to achieve.
Bokuto would wince and snap back to reality the way someone would when they dreamt they were falling.
Akaashi watched as one of Bokuto's hands twitched involuntarily, and to his dismay, it wouldn't stop.
The quote illustrates how difficult it is for a person with FFI to just sleep and rest their body. A person with FFI will often experience myoclonus which causes involuntary muscle twitching and jerking movements.
Frail, shaking fingers pushed through his own black and white hair in an attempt to calm himself down, but another thunder clap sounded, louder that time. Bokuto flinched hard enough to make the bed shake.
"F-f-u-ck." His voice broke in terror.
The quote illustrates that a person with FFI will experience panic attacks and a specific fear or phobia of something.
Bokuto had gone from a general one-hundred and fifty pounds to a mere ninety-seven pounds, last time they'd weighed him. The drastic weight loss was awful enough, but as if to add insult to injury, Bokuto's worsening condition also made it increasingly difficult for him to walk, move, and speak.
The quote illustrates how the health of a person with FFI will slowly but surely deteriorate the longer they are unable to fall asleep. A person with FFI will experience ataxia, which causes balance and coordination problems, and the loss of the ability to walk and speak.
In the end, there is no cure for FFI. Therefore, for anyone reading this, if you have problems with your sleep patterns, or if you have difficulty falling asleep, please consult a doctor immediately.
Never underestimate insomnia. Maybe at first you will feel that staying up all night will allow you to finish your assignments or work, or you can play your favorite game all night, or you can do anything to fill your free time without being distracted by activities like you do during the day.
It's only fun if you only have one or two sleepless nights. However, if it continues to happen throughout the week or even into the month, then it won't be fun anymore.
Take care of your sleep patterns, because by taking care of your sleep, you will also be able to maintain your health. Don't let you get this FFI disease. Although FFI is a genetic disease, and it is very rare for people to have it, it does not rule out the possibility that someone can get this disease.
Because like the symptoms described above, this disease will torment you slowly and will end in death. Therefore, it is very important to sleep at least once a day for 7-9 hours. Even if you have insomnia, sleeping at least 1-2 hours a day is a must so that your body can rest.
Therefore, take care of your health by paying attention to your sleep.
Source :Â
https://archiveofourown.org/works/5096105
https://health.kompas.com/penyakit/read/2021/09/03/200000368/fatal-familial-insomnia-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482208/
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