Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

What began as a quick nap for a tired Sharjah resident turned into a medical mystery when the 51-year-old man ended up unconscious for 32 hours. The man (name withheld) said he came home after a long workday and laid down to rest—fully clothed—intending only to nap. What followed stunned even the medical experts. “I was exhausted. I told myself I would just take a short nap,” he recalled. But he woke up 32 hours later, groggy and disoriented. Believing it was just early morning, he noticed something was off. “The walls felt like they were closing in, the phone looked huge… for a moment, I thought I was in someone else’s house,” he said. Once his phone powered up, he was shocked to find over 50 missed calls and messages from work, friends, and family. Panicked, he rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU for emergency evaluation. Doctors diagnosed him with a rare fungal infection that attacked the area of his brain responsible for regulating sleep and consciousness. “His brain triggered what we call an ‘automatic repair mode,’ forcing the body into a prolonged unconscious state to protect itself,” explained Dr Khalid Al Saffar, a neurologist at Medcare Hospital Al Safa. Had the sleep continued for just a few more hours, doctors warned, it could have led to coma—or death. Dr Al Saffar emphasized the importance of recognizing early signs of sleep disorders: “If you have a sleep disorder, you may feel unusually sleepy during the day, or have trouble falling or staying asleep. Breathing irregularities, restless movements, or waking too early are red flags.” He also warned that oversleeping, especially in adults over 45, may increase risks of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and anxiety. The Sharjah resident has since been discharged but remains under observation. ICA/Expat Media
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