Sleepwalker put on 126 pounds with nightly snacks

Sleepwalker Anna Ryan put on nine stone by eating without realising during nightly trips to the fridge. The 42-year-old suffers from a condition which makes her gorge herself while asleep with catastrophic effects on her size and health.

Despite following a low-fat diet and exercising regularly, her weight has fluctuated wildly since her early 20s. She keeps clothes in four different sizes and can put on as much as a stone (14 pounds) in a month.

Her weight problem mystified her until two years ago when she was diagnosed with Sleep Related Eating Disorder (SRED) which causes her to walk to the kitchen and eat while sound asleep.



In an unconscious state she gorges on chocolate, cheese, meat, butter and anything she can get her hands on. It means she has no control over her weight and as a result she weighs 19 stone and suffers from high blood pressure.

"My sleep eating is putting my life at risk," said Anna from Blue Springs, Missouri, USA, who runs a garden centre with her husband Kenny.

"I've tried everything to stop me getting my hands on food but nothing works. It's embarrassing - people don't always believe you, or they think it's funny. But for me it's been a nightmare."

Full story here.