12. Ondine’s Curse
This one comes with a dose of German mythology. Ondine was a nymph who fell in love with a mortal and swore that each breath he took would be a testament of his love to her. When he cheated on her, Ondine cursed him to stop breathing the next time he fell asleep. The disease also known as “congenital central hypoventilation syndrome,” means sufferers lack the function of the autonomic nervous system which regulates breathing. Meaning they have to consciously remind themselves to breathe.