Fatal Insomnia

One of the rarest and at the same time the most severe sleep disorders is called fatal familial insomnia or fatal family sleeplessness. This disease is tied to the genetic code of “only” forty families in the world; it has passed from generation to generation and scientists have been unable to find a cure. What causes this mysterious disease? To find the answer to this question, scientists must first study sleep itself. Despite being an indispensable part of our lives, sleep remains more or less a mystery to scientists. But lack of sleep and the resulting wrong decisions may cause a catastrophe such as Chernobyl. The vital need for sleep is also misused as one of the roughest methods of torture. But it is of little use because a brain that cannot regenerate during sleep rapidly loses its ability to function and therefore to think rationally. But is the regeneration of brain cells the only reason for sleeping? This documentary examines sleep from multiple points of view, including a visit to the animal world. (Academia Film Olomouc)