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Insomniac says his lack of sleep is a 'blessing' as he's learned to play piano and speak French

<em>Neil Epstein has learned to play piano while the world sleeps (Caters)</em>
Neil Epstein has learned to play piano while the world sleeps (Caters)

Insomnia can be crippling for sufferers but one man has turned the lack of sleep into a plus by living a secret second life at night.

Neil Epstein, 54, sleeps an average of just 20 minutes a night and can frequently go without any sleep at all for as much as 48 hours at a time.

But the married dad-of-four, from New Barnet, North London, believes his waking hours have given him an extra two years of consciousness each decade which most people will never have.

In this time, he’s been able to learn how to play the piano, write poetry and short stories, make his own art and even learn French.

<em>The married dad-of-four believes his waking hours have given him an extra two years of consciousness each decade (Caters)</em>
The married dad-of-four believes his waking hours have given him an extra two years of consciousness each decade (Caters)

Retail worker Neil said: “I rarely sleep more than 20 minutes at a time.

“If I’m lucky I’ll get an hours sleep a night and at least one night a week I go without sleep entirely. Sometimes it can be 48 hours at a time.

“I’d say on average I get about 10 hours sleep a week and I can be awake for 36 hours.

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“But that’s probably given me an extra two years of consciousness every decade.

“For this reason, my insomnia has actually been a positive thing in lots of ways – I’ve never looked at it as a negative.

“It’s given me many opportunities, whereas most people don’t have the time.

<em>Neil has been an insomniac for nearly 50 years (Caters)</em>
Neil has been an insomniac for nearly 50 years (Caters)

“I’m always there for people when they need to call me at 3am, and it’s allowed me to write my own poetry and music.

“So if anyone ever says to me ‘oh dear, how sad’ I say no, it’s an advantage and it’s been a blessing.”

Neil first started to experience insomnia aged six, but wasn’t formally diagnosed until he was twelve.

Despite the stressful diagnosis, as a teenager he started to notice the positive benefits of his condition.

As a young father, he would frequently take the ‘night shift’ and look after his young children, James 13, Sophie 16, Charlotte, 23, and Ben, 24 leaving his wife Julia, 52, to sleep peacefully.

<em>Neil first started to experience insomnia aged six, but wasn’t formally diagnosed until he was twelve (Caters)</em>
Neil first started to experience insomnia aged six, but wasn’t formally diagnosed until he was twelve (Caters)

Neil said that despite having had the condition for most of his life, he has always been private about it and said that it took him months to tell his now wife that he had it at all.

Now, despite the couple having to sleep in separate bedrooms so Neil doesn’t disturb her during his waking hours, he insisted it doesn’t have a negative impact on their relationship.

Neil has tried various therapies and treatments to stop his insomnia – such as acupuncture, yoga and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Doctors even tried to reset his body clock using medication, but nothing worked.

<em>As a young father, Neil would frequently take the ‘night shift’ and look after his young children, leaving his wife Julia to sleep peacefully (Caters)</em>
As a young father, Neil would frequently take the ‘night shift’ and look after his young children, leaving his wife Julia to sleep peacefully (Caters)

He now occasionally self-medicates with a small dose of sleeping pills, which gives him an extra hour of sleep a day.

But he said if he never slept properly again he’d be perfectly happy as he has given up on finding a cure for the condition.

And he believes apart from feeling tired from time to time, he suffers from no adverse health as a result of his insomnia.

He said: “I’m just carrying on, this is my life and the way that I exist and I’ve always got a smile on my face.

“I don’t mind the lack of sleep, it’s just something I tolerate very well after all these years.”

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