Man sleeps for 300 days a year in India, find out why
- 15 Jul 2021
Gulf Today Report
While the majority of people sleep 6 to 8 hours a day, an Indian man named Purkharam from a village in Rajasthan suffers from a rare disorder that causes him to sleep for 300 days a year, according to media reports.
Purkharam suffers from a rare medical condition called Axis Hypersomnia.
Purkharam, 42, can sleep for up to 25 days straight once he takes a nap. Because of his strange illness, Purkharam can only operate his grocery store five days a month, so the man is used to managing his daily life such as showering, working and eating while he sleeps, according to Indian media.
He often slept while he was at work, and as soon as this happened he could not wake up, and all his family could do was take him home and feed him. He even washed his feet while he slept.
His family confirmed that his illness was diagnosed 23 years ago, and it became clear that he had a rare disease. He slept for 15 hours at a time, but his condition gradually deteriorated. By 2015, his family began calculating his sleep schedule in days instead of hours.
And after his condition deteriorated. The owner of the small store used to sleep more than 7 or 8 days continuously, but the deterioration continued until he now sleeps for up to 25 continuous days, and he spends a total of about 300 days sleeping out of 365.
Because of Purkharam’s rare condition, he can only run his shop 5 days a month.
Purkharam's wife said he woke up last Sunday after 12 days of sleep, and the first thing he did was open his shop, and unfortunately no one knew how long he would be able to run it, before he succumbed to his Axis Hypersomnia again.
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Purkharam says he feels tired all the time and his productivity is low.
He also suffers from headaches despite taking medications and excessive sleep.
Doctors attributed this rare condition to a fluctuation in a brain protein known as TNF-alpha, which is generally associated with disorders related to excessive sleepiness, such as sleep apnea and hypersomnia.
The media quoted medical sources that there is currently no known treatment for the condition of Purkharam, and the only treatment he tried over the years caused him side effects, such as severe headaches and fatigue.
Purkharam’s family, including his wife, also works in agriculture, which helps cover daily expenses, but she hopes he will recover soon and start living a normal life.
