Fatal Sleep is debuting on National Geographic Channel Explorer on April 27, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. Beyond occasional insomnia and the more serious sleep apnea, is a fatal disease that does not allow sleep that eventually causes death. National Geographic Explorer, on cable television, informs viewers about Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) and follows scientists as they look for a cure.
You climb into bed, turn off the light, and close your eyes, but you can’t fall asleep. For most of us its just one annoying night, but for people with Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) it is the beginning of the end. FFI is a genetic disease passed down through generations. The primary symptom of FFI is sleeplessness. Within months the victim is dead.
People succumb to it every night, yet it is one of sciences greatest mysteries. Sleep. Why do we need sleep, and what happens to us when we don’t get it?
Following are videos from National Geographic Channel. In the video 'Lethal Insomnia, Silvano, an Italian man with FFI, is studied in a sleep lab. In the video 'Sloth Study,' researchers study the sleep habits of animals in the wild in order to learn more about the human need for sleep.
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