80-year-old man who ‘hasn’t slept for 61 years’ claims doctors don’t know why
An 80-year-old man from Vietnam apparently 'hasn't slept' for more than 60 years, but says doctors have absolutely no clue why.
Can you imagine being awake for 60 years? I can barely even make it 60 minutes without half drifting off.
The curious case began in Vietnam, in the middle of the war which raged from 1955 to 1975. At first, Thai Ngoc was able to sleep as the brutal war went on. But one day in 1962, he simply stopped sleeping.
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Ngoc opened up about his unusual situation in an interview with YouTuber Drew Binsky, who tracked him down in Vietnam to learn about his condition and exactly how he passes all those hours when he isn't sleeping.
"Whatever the case is, I traveled 2 days from Arizona to a small village in South Vietnam to track him down, stay up all night with him, and see if it was actually true that he doesn’t sleep," Binsky explained.
In the interview, Ngoc told Binsky he has 'no idea' why he can't sleep.
His wife said she was 'alarmed' at first about her husband's inability to sleep, but over the years it's become 'normal' as she's never seen him in a deep sleep.
Ngoc has visited the hospital to try and get some explanation for his insomnia, but unfortunately for him, doctors haven't been able to provide any further insight either.
Every now and again, if he drinks enough rice wine, Ngoc is able to switch off his brain long enough to get one or two hours of sleep. He regularly lies down to try and get some rest, but his eyes rarely close.
The rest of the time, he's up and about.
While everyone else is catching up on their rest, Ngoc passes the time by working and making rice wine.
He said he doesn't get tired in the same way most other people do, though he gets boosts of energy from drinking green tea and rice wine.
It's definitely a good way to stay productive, but Ngoc admitted that he did wish he could get some shut-eye.
Given the opportunity to speak to the world through Binsky's video, Ngoc appealed to anyone who might be able to help him sleep.
After meeting with Ngoc and recognising his reluctance to discuss his life during the Vietnam War, Binsky speculated that PTSD could have something to do with his inability to sleep.
As far as Ngoc is aware, he's the only person in the world to go without sleep for so long.
Emily Brown