Man who hasn’t slept in 41 years

As unbelievable as it is, a man named Thái Ngọc hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for over 41 years. He was born in Trung Ha Village, Quế Sơn District of Quảng Nam Province in Vietnam. Now age 72, he continues his daily routines which include carrying several 110 pound bags of pig feed down a 2.5 mile roadway each and every day.

Back in October of 2006, he admits that he was beginning to feel much like a plant without any water from his sleep deprivation. There has been several other cases reported like this including Al Herpin an American known as “The Man Who Never Slept”. A Hungarian soldier named Paul Kern also was never able to sleep after being shot in the head.

Thái Ngọc is a scientific abnormality, he is perfectly healthy other than needing a good night’s rest. There is also one other strange fact about him, he has never been ill after decades of insomnia. With his rather unusual fame, he has scientists perplexed. The origination of his strange sleepless nights started back in 1973 when he experienced a fever. From then on wards, he has counted many sheep at night with some 11,700+ sleepless nights.

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

“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.

Ngoc and his wife live on a 5 acre farm near the foot of a mountain. They feed their pigs and chickens among other farm related tasks. They have six children at their house in Que Trung.

Ngoc’s wife said:

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