How long does lethargic sleep last? Lethargic sleep: its causes and symptoms, known cases. The longest lethargic dreams

Lethargic sleep remains an unsolved puzzle to this day. It is also called “lazy death” or “slow life”. Scientific research this phenomenon did not bring 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 - a fear that lurks in the subconscious of almost everyone modern man. In past Sopor was a real problem that was 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 a few 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 did not have therapeutic effect, sometimes ending 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 apply for timely assistance. 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 pathological condition, which is 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. Syndrome chronic fatigue- 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 - all residents big cities, businessmen, health workers, air traffic controllers, 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, and not epidemic encephalitis. Over time, doctors learned to tell the difference. Despite the similarity of symptoms, the listed diagnoses are different and require special treatment.

Comatose state is serious disease, which progresses and is characterized by loss of consciousness, disruption of the central nervous system, bad breath. 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 started active life, a person quickly senses 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 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. The real incident happened in Latin America: the girl slept from the age of six until she was 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 and identify injuries. important organs, exclude signs of tissue decay. The third stage is blood testing (flow strength, chemical analysis). If 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. Positive aspect with the “lazy death” syndrome, one can consider there is no 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”. Spend some time in the “land of dreams” life period- 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, ironic attitude towards life - prerequisites for health and full activity.

What is lethargic sleep, interesting facts about cases " imaginary death" found in medical practice, the causes of lethargy and its manifestation - you will read about this in this publication.

Definition of lethargy

Lethargic sleep is a cessation of activity by a person, in which he is immobilized, does not respond to stimuli from the outside world, but does not lose signs of life. Breathing is slow, pulse is difficult to hear and... The word "lethargy" comes from Latin language. "Lethe" means "oblivion." In the mythological stories of antiquity, the Lethe River was mentioned, flowing in the kingdom of the dead. According to legend, those deceased who have tasted the waters from the source forget everything that happened to them in earthly life. "Argia" means "numbness."

Lethargic sleep: causes and types

For a person who experiences overstrain, weakness, apathy or lack of sleep, the risk of falling into lethargy is many times higher than for people who follow a daily routine and eat well and properly.

Known types of lethargy: light form and heavy.

With the first, swallowing and chewing reflexes are preserved, heartbeat and breathing are easily audible.

In severe cases, a person can easily be mistaken for a dead person. The body temperature drops, the heartbeat is greatly muffled, and there is no reaction.

In many European countries They have long come up with ways to avoid burying a person alive by mistake. For example, in Slovakia they consider it necessary to put a working telephone in the coffin of the deceased, so that if he wakes up, he can call and report that he is alive. And in the UK, a bell is placed in the cells of the dead in the morgue.

Lethargic sleep, as scientists have learned, has its own “side effect.” A person who has fallen into a state of “imaginary death” long years practically does not change externally. He looks the age he was when he fell asleep. This happens because biological processes slow down in the body. But after waking up, a person begins to age sharply to the required age. That is, if he fell asleep when he was 20 years old and woke up at 30, some time after waking up he will look his real age. Despite external changes, a person thinks and behaves as if he had just fallen asleep. He will arrive at the intellectual level at which he was when he went into hibernation.

Lethargic sleep: stories from practice

Gogol's lethargic dream

IN recent months Gogol was exhausted mentally and physically. Depression overtook him. Nikolai Vasilyevich was a piously religious person and realized that “ Dead Souls"contain a lot of sinful things. In addition, his works were criticized by Archpriest Matthew, with whom he had a close relationship.

Feeling shame for what he had done, and trying to regain the purity of his soul, Gogol began to fast and thereby undermined his health. Doctors made a diagnosis of meningitis, but it turned out to be wrong. As a result, the treatment only worsened the situation; on February 21, 1852, he “died” from heart failure.

During the transfer of the writer’s remains to the Novodevichy cemetery, an exhumation was carried out - the removal of the corpse from the burial site. About 20 people were present. They said that Gogol's head was turned to one side, and inner part the coffin was torn. Because of this, they made the assumption that Nikolai Vasilyevich fell asleep in a lethargic sleep. During his lifetime, he spoke many times about the fear of being buried alive; it probably came true. Later, the lethargic sleep of the writer Gogol became one of the most striking cases, probably due to the significance of the personality of the deceased. The exact cause of his death has never been established.

These are one of the few cases where lethargic sleep has been recorded. There may have been other interesting facts, but they were not widely publicized. Law enforcement agencies were often involved in their investigation.

Geneticists say lethargy represents special kind diseases transmitted through genes from ancestors. If such cases have been noted in relation to relatives of other generations, they advise undergoing a full medical examination to determine the likelihood of such a dream occurring. They recommend notifying the family and competent services about this in order to conduct a full examination for falling into lethargic sleep before burial.

Special painful condition human, reminiscent deep dream. A person can remain in a state of lethargic sleep from several hours to several weeks, and in exceptional cases it can drag on for years.

Causes.

Suffered severe emotional stress;

Some features of the human psyche;

Head injuries severe bruises brain, car accidents;

Stress from losing loved ones.

There are cases where people were put into a state of lethargy through hypnotic influence.

Some doctors believe that the cause is a metabolic disorder, while others see this as a type of sleep pathology.

Possible complications. If the immobile state lasts for a long time, then the person returns from it, having received complications such as vascular atrophy, bedsores, septic damage to the bronchi and kidneys.

Symptoms. Lethargic sleep is characterized by:

lack of response to any external stimuli,

complete immobility,

a sharp slowdown in all life processes.

Human consciousness in a state of lethargy, he usually remains, he is able to perceive and even remember events around him, but is not able to react in any way. This condition should be distinguished from narcolepsy and encephalitis.

In the most severe cases there is a picture imaginary death: the skin turns pale and cold, the reaction of the pupils to light stops, pulse and breathing are difficult to determine, arterial pressure falls and even strong painful stimuli do not cause a response. For several days a person cannot eat or drink, the excretion of feces and urine stops, severe dehydration and weight loss occur.

In milder cases of lethargy, breathing remains even, muscles relax, and sometimes the eyes roll back and the eyelids tremble. But the ability to swallow and make chewing movements is preserved, and the perception of the environment may also be partially preserved. If feeding the patient is impossible, then it is done using a special probe.

Diagnostics. Many people are afraid of being buried alive, but modern medicine knows how to prove whether a person is alive. To do this, the doctor conducts electrophysiological studies of the heart and brain, so you can learn about the work of the heart and brain activity. When a person is in a lethargic sleep, the indicators involve the weak functioning of the organs.

Medical experts must carefully examine the patient, looking for signs that are characteristic of death - rigor, cadaveric spots. If there are no signs described above, they can make a small incision, examine the blood, and check its circulation.

Treatment. Lethargic sleep does not require treatment. The patient, as a rule, does not need to be hospitalized; he remains at home, among family and friends. No need for medications; food, water, vitamins are administered to him in dissolved form. The most important thing in this condition is the care that relatives should provide: hygiene procedures, compliance with temperature conditions.

The patient should be in a separate room so that he is not disturbed by surrounding noise - most of those who emerged from lethargic sleep say that they heard everything, but could not answer. Any action in caring for a patient should be reviewed by a doctor - we are talking about a very unusual disease, little studied and incomprehensible even scientific world, therefore even the smallest care, such as temperature, environment, lighting, must be taken into account.

Prevention. A unified method for the treatment and prevention of lethargy has not been developed. According to reports, people should follow several rules to avoid apathetic as well as lethargic attacks:

1. Avoid direct exposure sun rays in hot and humid weather;

2. Drink enough liquid (preferably plain boiled water);

3. Limit the intake of sweet foods and foods containing starch, include as much plant fiber in the diet as possible;

4. Avoid lack of sleep and do not sleep too long;

5. Do not use at the same time medications and alcoholic drinks.

Lethargy comes from the Greek lethe "oblivion" and argia "inaction." This is not just one of the types of sleep, but real illness. In a person in lethargic sleep, all vital processes of the body slow down - the heartbeat becomes rare, breathing is shallow and unnoticeable, and there is almost no reaction to external stimuli.

How long can lethargic sleep last?

Lethargic sleep can be light or heavy. In the case of the first, the person is noticeably breathing, he retains a partial perception of the world - the patient looks like a deeply sleeping person. In severe form, it becomes like a dead person - the body becomes cold and pale, the pupils stop reacting to light, breathing becomes so invisible that even with the help of a mirror it is difficult to determine its presence. Such a patient begins to lose weight, and biological secretions stop. In general, even on modern level medicine, the presence of life in such a patient is determined only with the help of an ECG and chemical analysis blood. What to talk about early eras, when humanity did not know the concept of “lethargy”, and any person who was cold and unresponsive to stimuli would have been considered dead.

The length of lethargic sleep is unpredictable, as is the length of coma. An attack can last from several hours to decades. There is a well-known case observed by Academician Pavlov. He came across a patient who “slept through” the revolution. Kachalkin was in lethargy from 1898 to 1918. After waking up, he said that he understood everything that was happening around him, but “felt a terrible, irresistible heaviness in his muscles, so that it was even difficult for him to breathe.”

Causes

Despite the case described above, lethargy is most common in women. Especially those who are prone to hysteria. A person may fall asleep after a strong emotional stress, as for example, happened to Nadezhda Lebedina in 1954. After a quarrel with her husband, she fell asleep and woke up only 20 years later. Moreover, according to the recollections of her loved ones, she reacted to what was happening emotionally. True, the patient herself does not remember this.

In addition to stress, schizophrenia can cause lethargy. For example, the Kachalkin we mentioned suffered from it. In such cases, according to doctors, sleep can become a natural reaction to the disease.

In some cases, lethargy resulted from serious injuries head, in case of severe poisoning, significant blood loss and physical exhaustion. Norwegian resident Augustine Leggard fell asleep after giving birth for 22 years.

Can lead to lethargic sleep side effects and overdose with strong medicines, for example, interferon - an antiviral and antitumor drug. In this case, to bring the patient out of lethargy, it is enough to stop taking the medicine.

IN Lately opinions are increasingly heard about viral reasons lethargy. Yes, doctors medical sciences Russell Dale and Andrew Church, having studied the history of twenty patients with lethargy, identified a pattern that many of the patients had a sore throat before “falling asleep.” Further searches bacterial infection made it possible to identify a rare form of streptococci in all these patients. Based on this, scientists decided that the bacteria that caused sore throat changed their properties, overcame immune protection and caused inflammation of the midbrain. Such damage to the nervous system could provoke an attack of lethargic sleep.

Taphophobia

With the awareness of lethargy as a disease came phobias. Today, taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive, is one of the most common in the world. She's in different time such famous personalities as Schopenhauer, Nobel, Gogol, Tsvetaeva and Edgar Poe suffered. The latter dedicated many works to his fear. His story “Buried Alive” describes many cases of lethargic sleep that ended in tears: “I looked closely; and by the will of the invisible, who was still clutching my wrist, all the graves on the face of the earth were opened before me. But alas! Not all of them fell into a sound sleep; there were many millions more others who did not sleep forever; I saw that many, seemingly at rest in the world, in one way or another changed those frozen, uncomfortable positions in which they were interred.”

Taphophobia is reflected not only in literature, but also in law and scientific thought. As early as 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg introduced a mandatory delay of funerals until the third day after death to prevent the possibility of being buried alive. Soon this measure was adopted in a number of European countries. Since the 19th century, safe coffins began to be produced, equipped with a means of escape for those “accidentally buried.” Emmanuel Nobel made for himself one of the first crypts with ventilation and alarm (a bell that was driven by a rope installed in the coffin). Subsequently, inventors Franz Western and Johan Taberneg invented protection for the bell from accidental ringing, equipped the coffin with an anti-mosquito net, and installed drainage systems to avoid flooding with rainwater.

Safety coffins still exist today. The modern model was invented and patented in 1995 by Italian Fabrizio Caseli. His project included an alarm, an intercom-like communication system, a flashlight, a breathing apparatus, a heart monitor, and a pacemaker.

Why do sleepers not age?

Paradoxically, in the case of long-term lethargy, a person practically does not change. He doesn't even age. In the cases described above, both women, Nadezhda Lebedina and Augustine Leggard, corresponded to their previous ages during sleep. But as soon as their lives acquired a normal rhythm, the years took their toll. Thus, Augustine aged sharply during the first year after awakening, and Nadezhda’s body caught up with its “fifty dollars” in less than six months. The doctors recall: “What we were able to observe was unforgettable! She grew old before our eyes. Every day I added new wrinkles and gray hair.”

What is the secret of the youth of those who sleep, and how the body so quickly regains the lost years, scientists have yet to find out.

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 physiological manifestations life, decreased metabolism, suppressed response 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. Lethargic sleep in mild form 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.

any special treatment lethargic sleep does not require, but in any case long sleep the patient should be observed by a doctor and undergo a thorough examination. If necessary, assigned symptomatic treatment. Food is provided rich in vitamins easily digestible food, in the absence of the opportunity to feed a person naturally nutritional mixture administered through a probe. 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.