Sleep disorder turns UK man into 'beast' at night

When Mr Derek Rogers tells his wife 'goodnight' these days, he really means it.

That's because he is cured of a rare sleep disorder which turned him into a 'dangerous beast' at night, reported the Daily Mail.

He developed the sleep disorder in 1998, which literally translated into 'ghastly nights' for his wife Linda Rogers.

By day, Mr Rogers of Bedford seemed like any normal, mild-mannered 70-year-old senior citizen.

He rarely used foul language and was said to be a caring husband.

But once he fell asleep, a shocking transformation took place.

He became violent, started swearing, hit his wife, ransacked furniture and even injured himself.

He even broke his nose thrice, cut his knuckles and head and bled profusely - all while he was asleep.

In one instance, he even fractured three ribs.

When he awoke the next morning, MrRogers usually had no recollection of what transpired during the night.

He had to visit the hospital up to three times a week, when he started hurting himself violently when the sleep disorder manifested itself.

Mr Rogers had the dubious distinction of being the only person in Britain to suffer from the disorder which causes the brain to send violent signals instead of relaxing.

He said: 'I only know whether I have been active by the physical pain the following morning. If you fracture three ribs then you know all about it.'

After Mr Rogers developed the sleep disorder, he started sleeping in separate beds from his wife to protect her.

The couple even placed a metal barrier between them. But it was not enough as MrRogers would climb over it to get to her.

Mrs Rogers then moved to a different room to avoid her husband attacking her.

She said: 'He becomes like this other person. He is aggressive and his language is awful. He is just not the man I know. In his dreams, he gets very physical and starts punching the walls.'

Another side-effect of the sleep disorder is insomnia - Mr Rogers would stay awake for days as he is scared of what he would do once he fell asleep.

When Mr Rogers was referred to the sleep clinic at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, after trying six different treatments for his dangerous disorder, he finally found a cure.

The doctors at the clinic found a £pounds;13,000-a-year ($38,000) experimental drug mix which transformed Mr Rogers' life.

Today, he calls it his 'magic potion' and it works by breaking the circuit between the sleeping brain and muscles in the body, effectively paralysing Mr Rogers so that he cannot harm himself or his wife
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,125371,00.html

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Last updated 23/03/2007

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