There is an unusual disease - "The Curse of Undine." Of course, this is an unofficial name, it can not be found in medical reference books. This term denotes a state in which a person stops breathing in a dream.
The Syndrome of Undine's Curse - Legend
Its roots take the name of the disease in the old German legend, according to which the mermaid Undina fell in love with a knight named Lawrence, who reciprocated her.
Mermaids are immortal, but having given birth to a child, they lose the ability to eternal life and are likened to ordinary people. In spite of this, Ondina decided to marry a beloved. At the altar, the knight solemnly swore an oath of loyalty, saying that as long as he breathes, waking up in the morning, he will be faithful to her. A year later the newlyweds had a son.
The weeks, months and years passed, and Undine lost her beauty. Lawrence was no longer so gentle, his interest faded. One day, Ondina caught him with another - a young and beautiful girl. From offense Undine uttered a curse: the breath that swore the unfaithful husband, will be preserved only during wakefulness. As soon as he falls asleep, his breath stops and he dies.
The Syndrome of Undine's Curse - Causes
European scientists began to actively study the problem of apnea (or Undine's syndrome), and came to interesting conclusions: all patients showed a common defective gene. It was also interesting that the deformation was not hereditary: in the parents of patients this gene was normal.
Thus, the mutation was the cause of a set of sex cells. When a child is born, it must be connected to the breathing apparatus, which remains necessary for him in adulthood, but only at the time of sleep.
Now scientists are working to learn to establish a mutation before the birth of a child, as well as to look for ways to eliminate it in the early stages of pregnancy.