Woman's Rare Disorder Makes Her 'Fall Asleep' When She Laughs Or Orgasms | HuffPost Life

'I can’t respond or snap out of it until the emotion stops.'

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A mum has a rare disorder which means her body goes to sleep every time she laughs or orgasms.

Jessica Southall, 20, has narcolepsy with cataplexy which sees her muscles totally relax as if she is asleep when she experiences some strong emotions.

As well as forcing her to sleep for 13 hours a day, it means her body ‘goes to sleep’ when she hears a joke, gets really upset or even when she is having sex.

Jessica even suffered ‘sleep attacks’ when she was in labour and has to make sure she’s sitting down if she’s watching something funny on TV.

At its worst the condition would see her knees buckle and her chin fall to her chest even when she giggled. But it has less amusing side affects, like vivid frightening dreams and pre-sleep hallucinations which make her see shadowy figures in her bedroom.

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The pregnant mum from Nottingham said: “One minute I’ll be there in stitches laughing my head off, not able to stop and the next moment my head is on my chest or I’m lying on the floor.

“I’m fully awake, I can hear everything, but I can’t talk and I can’t move.

“I can’t respond or snap out of it until the emotion stops and to every other person it looks like I have fallen asleep.

“It happens when I orgasm too. When me and my partner were first dating it was near enough every time.

“It might sound funny - and I do have to try and be light hearted about it - but it’s horrible really.

“I just had to explain to him that it’s only going to happen when he makes me feel at my very best, but it’s not ideal.”

Jessica started to experience extreme exhaustion aged 15 and found herself falling asleep in lessons, on the bus and even mid-conversation.

Her family, teachers and even doctors put it down to stress and a change in routine after the summer holidays - but Jessica was worried.

“I was falling asleep on the bus on the way to school, in my lessons, on the way home, as soon as I’d had my dinner - and sometimes in the middle of my dinner,” she said.

“At the weekend I wasn’t waking up until 3pm and then I’d go downstairs and fall asleep on the sofa.

“I think people thought I was being lazy, but I knew it wasn’t right.”

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Still undiagnosed, she suffered her first cataplexy attack - where her muscles relax and go weak - aged 16.

She was carrying two cups of tea when her aunt told a cheeky joke - causing Jessica to laugh and then involuntarily drop the drinks after her hands ‘went to sleep’.

Soon her chin was dropping to her chest every time she giggled or heard a joke, and a fit of laughter would see her collapse to the floor, no matter where she was.

“It was pretty embarrassing when I was at school. I would just be lying their on the floor.”

Months of tests and scans revealed she had narcolepsy - a rare neurological condition that affects the brain’s ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle.

She was also diagnosed with related condition cataplexy - sudden muscular weakness triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, anger and surprise.

Combined, it means she falls asleep when she she laughs, cries really hard, or experiences extreme pleasure - and also leaves her needing lots of sleep.

“At my worst I was full on collapsing every time I laughed,” she said.

“If I was sitting down my head would just loll down on to my chest.

“It’s hard to explain but I am fully awake and I can hear everything, but I can’t talk or move.

“It’s like I’m trapped and my body is asleep, but my brain is awake.

“It happens until the emotion stops and until then it looks like I’m asleep.

“I remember I was in McDonalds and my sister made me laugh and my head went straight on the table.

“My mum was saying ‘what is she doing?’ and she had to carry me out.

“It got to the point where I would be sat with my friends and someone would say something that made me laugh and I’d be in stitches.

“The next thing my knees would go, and I’d be on the ground until I stopped feeling the laughter. A tiny giggle and my head would go weak.”

She was prescribed medication usually given to children with ADHD which has the opposite on her - making her more alert and less susceptible to the condition.

But bizarrely - without any explanation - her condition only subsided when she got pregnant with daughter Briella, now one.

She suspects the “sleep when your baby sleeps” routine has helped her get more of a grip on her condition.

She still sleeps 11 hours a day and has attacks when she laughs, orgasms or sobs - but can have a little giggle without ‘passing out’.

But she did ‘pass out’ twice while in labour - waking up to finder herself in “full on” contractions.

“Nobody knows why but it’s not as bad as it used to be,” said Jessica, who is pregnant again.

“I tiny giggle before and I’d go, but now I can have a tiny little laugh - just a normal one in conversation - and be ok.

“I’ve also learned. I know my own body now so if I’m going to laugh I’ll grab something to hold on to so when my muscles get weak I’ll be ok.

“The other day I was watching the comedian Kevin Hart on TV and I was glad I was sitting down.

“He really, really had me laughing so I was having catoplexy attacks and I was there with my head just going on to my chest and then I’d stop and laugh my head off again.

“But it’s not all laughing. It has really frightening side affects too.

“I fall asleep having very vivid hallucinations which isn’t fun.”

21 Rare Diseases

Stiff Person Syndrome(01 of20)

People who suffer from this acquired neurological disorder experience repeated, often painful, muscle spasms as well as muscular rigidity and stiffness. According to the National Organization of Rare Diseases, spasms can occur at random or they can be caused by something as seemingly benign as light physical contact or an unexpected noise. The cause of Stiff Person Syndrome isn't yet known, but symptoms can be stabilized with medication. Left untreated, however, a person can lose the ability to walk.

Gigantism(02 of20)

This disease, which according to the NIH is most often caused by a begnin tumor in the pituitary gland, results in an excess of GH, or growth hormone. This causes sufferers to grow abnormally large, not just in terms of height, weight but also organ size. It results in complications like delayed puberty, increased sweating, and secretion of breast milk.

Pica(03 of20)

Characterized as an eating disorder, Pica causes people to eat what the National Organization for Rare Disorders describes as "non-nutritive" things. That umbrella term can include (but isn't limited to) dirt, clay, paper, and paint. Interestingly, it's not unusual for young kids to experience transient pica as a kind of phase, and pregnant women are also known to develop temporary pica cravings. The cause? Unknown. But in order to be diagnosed with full-blown Pica, a person's symptoms must last for more than a month.

Maple Syrup Urine Disease(04 of20)

MSUD, which is passed down through families, is a life-threatening metabolic disorder passed down through families that stems from the body's inability to process certain amino acids, leading to a build-up of them in the body. According to the NIH, symptoms usually surface in early infancy and can include vomiting, lack of energy, seizures, and developmental delays. MSUD takes its name from another symptom -- the urine in affected infants smells like caramel or maple syrup.

Situs Inversus(05 of20)

Situs Inversus is a congential condition in which internal organs of stomach and chest lie in mirror image of their normal body position -- something many sufferers aren't aware of until they seek medical help for an unrelated problem. People with Situs Inversus typically wear some form of identification to help doctors in the case of a medical emergency.

Trigger Thumb(06 of20)

Trigger thumb, or trigger finger as it's sometimes known, causes a person's finger or thumb to get caught in a locked position. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can then stay stuck or straighten with a painful "snap." The cause? It depends. Trigger Thumb is the result of a narrowing of the sheath around the tendon in the problem figure, but that can be caused by a lot of things, including any activity that requires people to grip things frequently. Trigger Thumb is also more frequent in women.

Scurvy(07 of20)

Once the disease of sailors and pirates, scurvy does still exist in the United States, though predominantly in older, malnourished adults. It usually stems from a Vitamin C deficiency, which can result in gum disease, skin leisons, and swelling of the joints. (credit:Getty )

Wilson's Disease(08 of20)

This progressive genetic disorder causes sufferers to store excess copper in tissues, including the brain and liver. Though the Mayo Clinic says that the body depends on copper in order to use iron and sugar, too much of it in the body can have real consequences. Which is why sufferers of Wilson's Disease are prone to liver failure.

Foreign Accent Syndrome(09 of20)

According to researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas, this speech disorder causes people to experience a sudden shift in their accents and though it is known to be caused by things like brain trauma, conversion disorder, or multiple sclerosis, an exact reason behind the syndrome is unknown. Sufferers of FAS dramatically shift their speech in terms of timing and intonation, which often causes them to sound foreign, but they remain totally comprehensible. Documented accent shifts include from American English to British and from British to French.

Carcinoid Syndrome(10 of20)

According to the National Organization of Rare Diseases, about 10 percent of people with carcinoid tumors -- which the Mayo Clinic says are slow growing tumors that produce excess serotonin and usually appear in the gastrointestinal tract or lungs -- get this syndrome. It occurs only in patients whose tumors have metastasized to the liver. The symptoms? Wheezing, hotness, and extreme facial blushing.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome(11 of20)

Children and adults afflicted with CVS experience recurrent episodes of severe vomiting, which can last for days, followed by sudden periods of no vomiting. While kids are likely to experience more frequent attacks, adults's often last longer. To date, the cause of CVS is unknown.

Peeling Skin Syndrome(12 of20)

This obscure, genetic skin disorder does exactly what its name implies: causes sufferers to experience constant shedding of their skin. (In some patients, peeling is limited to the feet and hands.) Along with that, sufferers often feel itching and redness -- symptoms that can appear from birth or develop later in life. Although the exact cause is unknown, a mutation in the TGM5 gene has been identified in many sufferers.

Platelet Storage Pool Deficiency(13 of20)

This is a blanket designation for several rare platelet abnormalities, most of which lead to mild or moderate bleeding disorders. According to the NIH, the problem stems having limited granules -- the parts of platelets that, among other things, store ADP -- the energy released when a molecular bond is broken. That reduction in storage space inhibits the platelets' ability to secrete ADP in a speedy fashion, which is thought to be what causes the bleeding. Classic symptoms of a Platelet Storage Pool Deficiency are nosebleeds, excessive bruising, and profuse bleeding in surgery.·

ACDC(14 of20)

Only nine people in the United States are known to have this disease, which was just given a name in a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. ACDC, or arterial calcification due to CD73 deficiency, results in calcium build-ups in the arteries below the waist of sufferers and in the joints of their hands and feet. According to the NIH, the breakthrough discovery found that the disease is related to a variant in the NT5E gene.3

Conversion Disorder(15 of20)

This condition, which typically occurs after an extremely stressful emotional event, causes a person to experience sudden blindness or paralysis that can't be otherwise explained. People with mental illlnesses are at particularly high risk and psychological treatment can help lessen the symptoms.·

Ochronosis(16 of20)

Ochronosis results in black or blue external tissues, often the ear cartilage or eye, though it can occur throughout the body. It affects people who suffer from certain metabolic disorders, but it can also be caused by exposure, though scientists aren't exactly sure to what. Not just a cosmetic issue, the affected areas can become brittle and degenerate over time.

VLCAD Deficiency(17 of20)

This condition, which is caused by genetic mutations in the so-called ACADVL gene, keeps people from converting certain fats to energy. According to the NIH, the deficiency often presents during infancy in symptoms including low blood sugar, weakness, and lethargy.

Hairy Tongue(18 of20)

As the name suggests, Hairy Tongue is a condition in which the tongue develops a black, hairy texture. According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease is "harmless" and is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth, which can be treated with antibiotics. The NIH reports that hairy Tongue can also present as brown, yellow, or green discoloration. ·

Ochoa (Urofacial) Syndrome, or, Peculiar Facial Expression(19 of20)

This obscure, inherited disorder presents at birth and causes infants to grimace when, in fact, they are attempting to smile. The disorder also includes an extreme urinary abnormality: an obstruction that interrupts the connection between nerve signals in the spinal cord and bladder, leading to incontinence. Though treatment does exist in the form of antibiotics and bladder re-education, some patients can develop renal failure in their teens and 20's, which can be life-threatening.

Progeria(20 of20)

According to the Mayo Clinic, only around 130 cases of this devastating genetic disorder have been documented since it was discovered in 1886. Affected babies normally appear normal at birth, but within 12 months begin to have symptoms like hair loss and wrinkles. According to the Mayo Clinic, progeria is caused by a genetic mutation, but not one that's passed down through families; it's a chance event that affects only one egg or sperm. The average life expectancy for sufferers is 13.

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