Chinese media recently reported on the unusual case of a woman claiming she has not slept for about four decades yet never feels tired or sleepy.
Most people need sleep to rejuvenate their bodies, but Li Zhanying, a woman from Henan, China, states that she has gone 40 years without sleeping. This “miracle” has been confirmed by her husband and neighbors.
The last time Li remembers sleeping was when she was 5 or 6 years old, and now, even in her 40s, sleep is nothing more than a distant memory.
Li Zhanying – the woman who doesn’t sleep.
Living in a village in the Zhongmou County of Henan Province, Li is well-known locally for her ability to stay awake day and night.
In recent years, some neighbors have challenged her by playing cards with her under the streetlights at night, but they eventually went home or fell asleep, while Li remained awake.
Mr. Liu Suoquin, Li’s husband, also confirmed that his wife seems to require no sleep at all. Since they got married, he noticed she stays awake all night, doing household chores even late into the night. She continuously tells him that she cannot sleep. Subsequently, Liu Suoquin bought some sleeping pills for her, but they had no effect.
According to the Bastille Post, Li Zhanying has sought medical help multiple times for her condition, but doctors found nothing unusual.
However, after visiting a medical center in Beijing recently, the mystery of Li’s decades-long insomnia was finally unraveled.
A team of doctors used advanced sensors to monitor her for 48 hours and discovered that she actually does sleep, but not in the way that most of us do.
CCTV, along with a group of doctors, went to document the 24/7 awake life of this woman. Her diet and daily work intensity were also recorded.
After the first day, the doctors were astonished at Li Zhanying’s physical condition and energy levels. She could work twice as hard as other farmers without ever feeling tired.
The doctors also discovered that Li Zhanying’s body has some unique characteristics; she falls into a resting state even while talking to people or working. Her eyes can be half-closed for just a few minutes, allowing her body to recover a significant amount of energy.
On the second day, the team of doctors worked in shifts, and one of them noticed something very special about Li Zhanying. They realized that it wasn’t that she didn’t sleep, but rather that she has a special way of sleeping. While we typically close our eyes to sleep at night, this woman can sleep even with her eyes open. Even at night, while lying in bed talking to her husband, she also falls into a light sleep state.
Li Zhanying is in excellent health.
Experts analyzed Li Zhanying’s electroencephalogram and found that during the day, her brain wave oscillations are much lower than those of others. This means that her energy expenditure is significantly less than that of others. Li Zhanying can easily slip into deep sleep even while awake, allowing her to recover a lot of stamina and energy through short breaks during the day.
The doctors described this phenomenon as “sleeping while awake”, a state similar to sleepwalking, in which some of Li Zhanying’s nerves and organs remain active while she is asleep.
The doctors stated that Li has actually been “tricked” by her own brain. When she is resting, part of her body switches to a sleep state without the need to close her eyes.
Nonetheless, there are still many things that science today cannot explain. Regardless, experts have at least proven that Li Zhanying’s body is entirely normal, to the extent that she is much healthier than most others.
