Real-life 'sleeping beauty': The mysterious case of Karolina Olsson who slept for 32 years

When Swedish Karolina Olsson was born on October 29, 1861, she was the only daughter in a family with five brothers. While her brothers went to school, the young girl stayed home to help her mother. At the age of 14, she asked her family to enroll her in school to learn how to read and write, and she was registered. On February 18, 1876, while walking home from school, she slipped on a frozen river, hit her head, and developed bruises on her body.

That evening, after eating her dinner, Karolina went to bed and woke up the next morning with a very severe headache. Her family advised her to stay in bed and rest, but one morning, Karolina couldn't wake up.

No amount of shaking could rouse her. Her strange condition continued for weeks, and the Olsson family believed all they could do was pray. Karolina's mother looked after her, bathing her and washing her hair. She was given two cups of milk and two cups of sugar water every day, but the young girl still seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Karolina's condition also attracted the attention of neighbors. Doctors and visitors came to see the long-sleeping girl, but no response could be obtained from Karolina, who was being tried to be woken up from her sleep.

The first doctor to examine Karolina determined that she was in a coma. Despite the unusual situation, the doctor did not appear worried at all. He followed Karolina for a year and continued to visit the island.

He wrote a letter to the editor of Scandinavia's most famous medical journal. He hoped that an article about Karolina would reach experts who might know how to help the girl.

After her mother's death in 1904, her father took over her care, but since he didn't know how to care for her and was often away, he hired a maid. The maids reported that the young girl never spoke and did not eat the food left for her.

However, strange things sometimes happened. For example, in 1907, when Karolina's brother died, the young girl was reported to have started crying in her sleep, though her eyes remained closed. The maid later said she had noticed several other odd things. For instance, candies would sometimes disappear. She suspected Karolina was taking the candies while in the garden.

On April 3, 1908, after 32 years and 42 days, Karolina opened her eyes. When she was awake, she was weak and couldn't speak. She did not recognize her siblings who came to see her but remembered everything that happened before 1876. Many journalists came to visit when they heard about the event, but her family preferred to hide to avoid media attention.

Karolina was evaluated by doctors in Stockholm and determined to be healthy. Psychiatrists investigated whether a traumatic event or psychosis was behind her sleeping period.

In 1910, the famous Swedish psychiatrist Harald Fröderström published an article containing information he learned from Karolina's family. Fröderström suggested that Karolina had experienced extreme anger and believed she was ill to get her family's attention.

Although Karolina did not meet the diagnostic criteria for Kleine-Levin Syndrome (Sleeping Beauty Syndrome), this mysterious sleep condition continued to puzzle medical experts for years. Karolina Olsson passed away on May 5, 1950, at the age of 88.