Hypersomnia

Abstract

Epimenides, a Cretan poet of the 6th century b.c., withdrew into a cave where he fell asleep; he awoke 57 years later (7). This anecdote is probably the first recorded case of hypersomnia. Sleeping Beauty, Rip Van Winkle and other personalities of folklore and literature followed. Clinically valid contributions, however, first appeared around the turn of this century.