Sleep Disorder

[mudflap]

Hi,

My brother has developed this condition wherby he sits up on the edge of the bed in the middle of the night then falls back asleep while sitting up, recently he toppled forwards and split his lip on a cabinet.

During the day he falls asleep in an instant often when reading or watching tv.

He refuses to see a doctor hence the reason i am asking here.

He drinks only at weekends and is in reasonable health other than being slightly overweight.

[Mr Veritas]

Unfortunately,all I can advise is that see his GP,and asked to referred to a sleep disorder clinic.
Yes,there are such things!
He would have to go in for one night,maybe once a week for a few weeks,and they would wire him up to a computer and study his sleep pattersn.
They would also film him while he sleeps (or not) and put the two together to try and find the problem.
It might (although I am NOT medical) be either of these two thing:~
Sleep Apnoea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea
or a form of Narcolepsy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcolepsy
but of course there are probabl quite a few more things that may be causing it.
Please,DO try and get it him to the GP,it's not something he (or you) can cure on your own, from the sound of it.

[Sqad]

MrV is correct.....two main sleep disorders, Obstructive Sleep Apnea ( Not uncommon) and Narcolepsy (Very uncommon)but it does not sound like either. People who are overweight or have a chest problem often sleep as you have described and the treatment is that of the condition.

Sleep Disorder Clinics unfortunately are thin on the ground in the NHS.

As Mr V suggests, he must see his GP.