A 17-year-old Indonesian girl who occasionally falls asleep for several days at a time has been dubbed a “real-life Sleeping Beauty” or the “sleeping daughter of South Kalimantan.

Echa, who hails from Banjarmasin, in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan region, first made news headlines in 2017, when national news outlets reported that she slept for 13 days straight. She has experienced two worrying episodes since then, when she slept for about a day and a half, but last week Echa’s condition worsened and she fell into a deep sleep for about seven days.

Her parents took her to the Ansari Saleh hospital in Banjarmasin, but her tests came out fine. The teenager finally woke up after a total of nine days, but doctors say that she is still very weak.

No one really knows what is causing Echa’s unusual long sleep, but symptoms suggests that she is suffering from hypersomnia, a very rare neurological condition that causes sufferers to feel excessive sleepiness during the day, and fall asleep for long stretches of time. Hypersomnia comes in many forms and has many probably causes, from neurological damage, to genetic factors and physical or emotional trauma.

Echa’s father, Mulyadi, told Tribunn.com that he had tried waking up the girl several times, but to no avail. Interestingly, the girl reportedly chews and swallows food in her sleep, if fed by her parents, and gets restless when she needs to use the bathroom. Mulyadi said that she urinates when taken to the bathroom and seated on the toilet seat.

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome currently has no known cure, but Echa’s parents hope that her symptoms can at least be better managed so she can enjoy a quasi-normal life.

Shabaleen:
she no get problem, because if she get she dey street dey hustle. imagine a nigeria sleeping straight 13 days? na hunger go kill u!!

Shabaleen:
she no get problem, because if she get she dey street dey hustle. imagine a nigeria sleeping straight 13 days? na hunger go kill u!!

HONESTFACT101:
oyibo too dey over pamper one naija slap for wake am up......signing out

folabayo:
If it was in nigeria, she would hv gone for several spiritual deliverance

Houseofglam7:
The comments tho

Shabaleen:
she no get problem, because if she get she dey street dey hustle. imagine a nigeria sleeping straight 13 days? na hunger go kill u!!