Anna Ryan was confused. Over the course of a year and a half, the mother gained 60 lbs. She had absolutely no idea why. Her eating habits hadn't changed.
She did notice one thing, though. She would wake up and not feel well rested at all. Her doctor recommended Ryan participate in a sleep study. That's when night vision cameras revealed the unbelievable.
The cameras revealed Ryan would get up in the middle of the night, still asleep, go into the fridge, and eat.
"It was not once a night. It was seven, eight, nine times a night," Ryan told ABC. "There were times where I would get up and it would be probably a half hour after I'd fallen asleep."
Ryan had no idea that this was happening. She would never remember doing it. The doctors diagnosed her as a sleep eater.
What's interesting is that even during her sleep eating, Ryan skips healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, and chooses snacks. Ryan can't believe she has never choked in her sleep.
"I wonder why I don't choke. Wow! I didn't realize I was in bed eating, and then [lying] down and eating," she said. "It's scarier than I thought, actually."
The difference between sleep eaters and normal sleepers is that the part of the brain that controls movement doesn't get "turned off" during sleep. This allows the person to move around while still in a deep slumber.
With treatment from her doctors, Ryan was able to find the right medications that finally allowed her to get a good night's rest!
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