When Sleep Goes Terribly Wrong

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - 13:30 in Psychology & Sociology

Losing Time Wikimedia Commons, Purpleblue Chris Stimac was a typical high school freshman: athletic, friendly, into science. He loved football and hoped to play it in college. But in the winter of 2003, he got a flu-like illness, which left him somehow changed. Stimac descended into a dark, foul mood, and he couldn’t shake exhaustion. When he wasn’t sleeping, he’d sit in his room in a confused daze, emerging only to use the bathroom or eat insatiably. He could devour entire pizzas at once. And if he didn’t get exactly what he wanted, he would scream obscenities uncontrollably.  Chris Stimac Courtesy Chris Stimac The episode lasted only a couple of weeks but the symptoms returned about a year later. After that, the spells recurred several times a year....

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