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As songbirds awaken the early risers at dawn on the farm, one resident is already up; in fact, he never slept – not once in the past 33 years.
You’d think going without sleep for that long may have its drawbacks, but not for the man in central Quang Nam province who has never been ill after decades of insomnia.

His inability to sleep has not only made him famous, but also represents a “miraculous” phenomenon worthy of scientific study.

Sixty-four-year-old Thai Ngoc, known as Hai Ngoc, said he could not sleep at night after getting a fever in 1973, and has counted infinite numbers of sheep during more than 11,700 consecutive sleepless nights.

“I don’t know whether the insomnia has impacted my health or not. But I’m still healthy and can farm normally like others,” Ngoc said.

Proving his health, the elderly resident of Que Trung commune, Que Son district said he can carry two 50kg bags of fertilizer down 4km of road to return home every day.

His wife said, “My husband used to sleep well, but these days, even liquor cannot put him down.”

She said when Ngoc went to Da Nang for a medical examination, doctors gave him a clean bill of health, except a minor decline in liver function.

Ngoc currently lives on his 5ha farm at the foot of a mountain busy with farming and taking care of pigs and chickens all day. His six children live at their house in Que Trung.

“I have tried sleeping pills and Vietnamese traditional medicine but nothing helps, even to sleep for a few minutes,” he said.

Creature of the night

Ngoc often does extra farm work or guards his farm at night to prevent theft, saying he used three months of sleepless nights to dig two large ponds to raise fish.

Neighbor Vu said Ngoc volunteered to help beat a drum during the night and guard the house for the relatives of the dead during funeral ceremonies so that they could take a nap.

Vu also said when the commune was planting sugar cane, several people also asked Ngoc to awaken them at midnight to go to work, since he was up anyway.

On Ngoc’s prolonged insomnia, Phan Ngoc Ha, director of the Hoa Khanh Mental Hospital in Danang said sleep disorders often cause anorexia, lethargy, and irritability.

But, in special cases, some people can handle it and still live and work normally, although this was a very small ratio among insomniacs, Ha added.

Reported by Vu Phuong Thao – Translated by Thu Thuy

satman83 wrote:Its impossible. he would be dead...well would of died a long time ago, the longest
someone has gone without sleep is just over 1 week (under test condictions).

to put it simply you have to sleep or you die, sleep is your brains way of copying with
the HUGE amount of stresses that it comes under each day.

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

Casey613 wrote:

satman83 wrote:Its impossible. he would be dead...well would of died a long time ago, the longest
someone has gone without sleep is just over 1 week (under test condictions).

to put it simply you have to sleep or you die, sleep is your brains way of copying with
the HUGE amount of stresses that it comes under each day.

Fail.
Saw it on CNN a few years ago, then a quick documentary about him was broadcasted on Discovery Channel.
The fact that it has never happend before doesn't mean it can't happen.

Megami wrote:

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

wow really? i hardly ever dream. shit. im gonna lose my mind more then i already have lolz :S

Megami wrote:

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

wow really? i hardly ever dream. shit. im gonna lose my mind more then i already have lolz :S

satman83 wrote:

Casey613 wrote:

satman83 wrote:Its impossible. he would be dead...well would of died a long time ago, the longest
someone has gone without sleep is just over 1 week (under test condictions).

to put it simply you have to sleep or you die, sleep is your brains way of copying with
the HUGE amount of stresses that it comes under each day.

Fail.
Saw it on CNN a few years ago, then a quick documentary about him was broadcasted on Discovery Channel.
The fact that it has never happend before doesn't mean it can't happen.

Right so how do i "Fail" as you put it? if you dont sleep your body slowly starts to
die...you have to sleep to dream to reach a state of REM, maybe this guys a freak of
nature but what i said wasnt wrong at all...you need to sleep in order to function,
so please think before you decide to come here and post your "fail" ok.

RuYi wrote:

Megami wrote:

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

wow really? i hardly ever dream. shit. im gonna lose my mind more then i already have lolz :S

Haha, don't worry! Many people claim they don't dream. Truth is, they do, everyone does, but they just forgot it. Especially when you wake up by something (someone waking you etc) you forget it faster.

You can train it though, some people remember their dreams and are
sometimes even able to controll them.

RuYi wrote:

Megami wrote:

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

wow really? i hardly ever dream. shit. im gonna lose my mind more then i already have lolz :S

Haha, don't worry! Many people claim they don't dream. Truth is, they do, everyone does, but they just forgot it. Especially when you wake up by something (someone waking you etc) you forget it faster.

You can train it though, some people remember their dreams and are sometimes even able to controll them.

Casey613 wrote:Grim read the god damn article then comment on it
lol

satman83 wrote:

Megami wrote:

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3

wow really? i hardly ever dream. shit. im gonna lose my mind more then i already have lolz :S

lol dont worry...well dream, dreams only last a few seconds and so we have 1000 each
and everynight, its just very hard to remember them is all. Lol i think you would
know when you were losing your mind.

RuYi wrote:Interesting, since I read in an article about this test where they'd wake up people as soon as they started dreaming. Without dreaming, people slowly start to lose their minds.

Whether that's true or not, it can't be healthy to go without sleep that long. Though the 1/3 time of your life wasted with sleeping seems alot. :3