Fatal Familial Insomnia

An extreme, ultra-rare form of insomnia that is downright terrifying to even think of. First identified in the mid-18th century, fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a progressive disease that makes it physically impossible for a person to sleep.

The symptoms of FFI can be divided into several "Stages" which are as follows:

Stage 1: Habitual sleepiness/drowsiness
Stage 2: Hallucinations

Stage 3: Memory loss/dementia

Stage 4: Coma, then death

Fatal familial insomnia is not curable, and there are no methods of slowing it down that medical experts are aware of. One might think that sleeping pills are a good idea, but that couldn't be farther from the truth; remember the main symptom is that you CANNOT SLEEP no matter what. Sleeping pills actually make it progress quicker. The disease generally kills in less than three years, and in some cases even less than a year. However, there have been anomalous cases where people have lived for five years or more with the disease.

Fatal Familial Insomnia is a terrifying disease. The initial symptoms before you start to (literally) lose your mind last just long enough for you to realize that it's happening, and the fact that it cannot be stopped once it starts REALLY ramps up the panic that ensues.

by Ubeenbamboozledson February 6, 2022

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