Photos: Meet The Real Life 'Sleeping Beauty'

A woman suffers from a rare sleeping disorder which causes her to sleep for up to 22 hours a day – but is still left feeling tired.

Heather Reed, 37, was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin syndrome – also known as ‘sleeping beauty syndrome’ – two years ago.

But five years before doctors revealed she had myalgic encephalomyelitis – which causes persistent fatigue.

On a good day she sleeps for around 12 hours but some days her illnesses can be so bad that she needs 22 hours of shut eye.

During her seven-year battle, Ms Reed, from Nova Scotia, Canada, said: ‘It certainly has an impact on my life. I feel like a ghost.

‘I went from my healthy life to not being able to get out of bed, because the fatigue was so crushing and all encompassing. I was tired to the point where it physically hurt.

She added: ‘I only spend about eight hours awake a day.

‘If you try and compact everything you need to do into eight hours, it’s just not possible. I am able to do very little in those limited number of hours.

Ms Reed first noticed she was suffering from problems sleeping when she was left exhausted after recovering from a three-month viral infection.

Typically, KLS sufferers go through episodes where they sleep for most of the day. These can last for days or weeks.

Source: National Parrot