A-008: Thai Ngoc

Status and Warnings

 * Currently considered active. Anomalous effect possible waning.
 * Validity unknown.
 * If real, it may be possible to give this ability to others via medical treatment, removing the need for sleep.
 * Original article by Axolotl (Alex), transcribed and edited by Jade.

Description
Thai Ngoc is a 76-77 year old (born 1942) Vietnamese man who is unable to sleep, and does not suffer any negative psychological or physiological effects from this. He claims to have not slept in 46 years due to this insomnia. Its is supposed that he can't sleep due to a bout of fever he had. He appears to be mentally and physically healthy, regularly carrying 50 kg (110 lb.) sacks of pig food across 5 km (3.1 miles) of road every day. He has been offered sleep analysis testing by UK and Thai groups, but refused these offers, as he hadn't left his village in over 60 years and doesn't like the testing process. He has, however, had routine medical examinations, and has been found to have a clean bill of health, outside of slightly declining liver function. He has occasionally appeared on television shows due to his strange condition, and has spoken to multiple writers for news organizations.

He claims to have tried sleeping pills and various folk medicines for insomnia, and has found no success. He often uses his ability to spend more time working on and guarding his farm.

History
Thai Ngoc was born sometime in 1942 in the Trung Ha Village, Quế Sơn Districtof Quảng Nam Province. Most sources say that he gained his ability after a bout of fever in 1973, but other sources say there was no cause.

In October of 2006, Ngoc reported of feeling "like a plant without water" due to his lack of sleep. This has led some to believe he is starting to suffer negative effects from his anomalous properties.

Explanations

 * It is likely that Thai Ngoc suffers from Sleep State misperception, a condition in which those affected will mistake their sleep for wakefulness. This causes them to believe they did not sleep, when they did in actuality. This does not explain the extra work done by him, or the many accounts of him helping his neighbors with his ability (such as for waking people up at particular times in the night).
 * Ngoc's condition may be a complete medical anomaly, but this remains unlikely, due to the troubles his body would have maintaining proper hormone levels, especially insulin.