WHAT IF YOU CANNOT EVER SLEEP?

Sunday is my spiritual day when I delve into life and death.  Something happened to me this weekend that was terrifying.  Friday night I got up from bed and felt compelled to take care of a matter dealing with our upcoming Fall trip to Dubai to catch the Regent Seven Seas Explorer to Singapore.  There are two nagging matters, but I hope I've taken care of one problem.  My passport was expiring in January of 2023, and most countries require that your expiration date is six months after you arrive.  I suffered through that process and hope my new passport arrives some time this month.

The other had to do with getting from Honolulu to Bangkok on Asiana Air.  This took four stressful hours on my computer, and when I returned to bed it was 3AM.  My mind was so wired that I could not sleep.  After a while, I wondered if I had blown a fuse or something in my brain, and maybe I'll never again be able to sleep.  That had never occurred to me before.

Petrified, I got out of bed in the morning and somehow functioned, but overriding was that severe mental anguish.  Saturday afternoon I thought I would take a nap and get over this nagging feeling of not ever being able to sleep.  I had difficulty, but thankfully, dosed off for two hours.  Whew!  I'll live.

People who can't ever sleep overdose on pills, and did not want to be one of them.  My University of Hawaii football team got crushed by Western Kentucky Saturday evening, but my attitude remained chipper, in fact, I seemed to be in a mild state of euphoria for having again escaped dying.

So this morning I did some research, and this particular ailment is called FATAL INSOMNIA.  Turns out this is hereditary and strikes certain families.  To quote the fate of Silvano, when on a cruise ship, he became drenched in sweat:

Concerned, he examined himself in a mirror, only to find that his pupils had shrunk to two tiny black pinpricks. It was the same glassy-eyed stare that had afflicted his father and two sisters at the beginning of their mysterious illnesses.

He knew this was just the beginning. Tremors, impotence and constipation could follow. But the most terrifying symptom would be the disappearance of sleep – almost total insomnia for months; a kind of waking coma that ultimately would end in death.

Basically, he expected to die within the year, for generations of relatives had already passed away from this curse.  It took a couple of years, but he did relinquish life, and left his brain to science in the hope that it might shed some light on this disorder.  The University of Bologna initiated the research.  

• Elio Lugaresi's sleep clinic team found the cause.
• A misshapen protein in the brain called a prion was caused by a genetic mutation.
• In short, the size and shape of a walnut in the thalamus appeared to have been riddled with boring worms.
• Related to Mad Cow Disease.
• Too much detail.  Read this article if interested.

There is a book by DT Max:  The Family That Couldn't Sleep.

There is a range of treatments, including electroconvulsive shocks.  None of them cure you of fatal insomnia.  But at least you survive, for only a short while more.  In time a promising new drug has surfaced to prevent or decelerate the formation of the poisonous prions, doxycycline.  Twenty one people taking the drug lived about twice as long compared to 78 controlled subjects also with fatal insomnia.  Not so great, for this pill-group only averaged 13 more months of life.  Maybe the drug is okay, and taking it earlier might be a better solution.  This is the current stage of development.

I then referred to Wikipedia:

• There is no known cure.
• Average survival period is 18 months.
• However, this ailment is very rare, for in 1998 only 40 families carried this deadly gene.

Of course, the near fatal insomnia I had is not related to the family version.  I have a smart phone.  Maybe I should get a Smart Bed to sleep better.  From the SleepFoundation:

• 
  Their highest rated is a Ghost SmartBed rom $5,899 to $11,798.
• Highlights:

• 
  Air chambers automatically adjust to changes in sleep position.
• Biometric sensors track various sleep data.
• Memory foam comfort layer provides close contouring
• Turns out this is not a real foundation anymore, but a normal company, so this section was their ad. 

The National Sleep Foundation sold off the SleepFoundation, but itself is a non-profit, and here is what they say about using technology so you can sleep better:

• 
  Get a smart mattress.
• Consider a sleep tracker.
• Use an innovative lighting system.

• 
  Optimize your sleep environment, which would include sound conditioners, white and pink noise machines, background hum, nature sounds, etc.

• Purify your air.
• Get a smart pillow.
• Keep your room temperature at 65 F.

To conclude, we splurged this week and went to Hy's in Waikiki.  Our adventure began with The Bus:

Ordered dry Martinis with olives over crushed ice.  The buttered toast was tasty.

I had a Tattinger sparkling wine with escargot.  Came lukewarm, so sent the dish back.  Surprisingly, was not as good as I remembered.

Steak and rack of lambs were excellent.  Couldn't finish them, so took a good portion home.

I had the house Cabernet, and our overall conclusion was favorable.

Audy Kimura has retired, and in his place is Vernon Sakata, an acoustic and classical guitarist.  Repertoire could use an adjustment.  Wore a mask, which is fine, but he kept to himself and did not entertain, as such.  Needs to be more outgoing and visually interact with the diners.  But maybe his role is to serve as only background music.

Caught a cab home.  Bus, almost free...taxi, $30.  Last night we went to watch the UH football game in our  15 Craigside theater and had assorted snacks for our tailgate.  Dave, also sitting in the front row, provided some beer.  That's me with a mug of scotch and rocks.  That screen looks like a typical TV set, but, in fact, is a very large screen.  That photo to the left was taken for another event.  I am in a recliner so my head is at the proper angle.

Typhoon Hinnamnor remains dangerous with sustained winds of 127 MPH.  The path will brush by Cheju Island and Busan as a Category 3.

In the Atlantic, Hurricane Danielle appears headed for....EUROPE!  Of course she will weaken before reaching the continent.

Oh, one more thing, tomorrow is a national holiday, Labor day.  Otherwise...

-