THE 40 WINKS EFFECT
DAD CAUGHT IN NAPS NIGHTMARE
“But I went again the same day and bought £26 worth of stuff.” Mark explained: “At the start, my turns would last me for about five to 10 minutes every day but now they are lasting as long as half-an-hour and that’s dangerous. I can’t afford to be doing this anymore – I don’t have that kind of money to spend.”
Mark tried to take some of the toiletries back but says staff refused to reimburse the items worth £78.49 – despite him having the receipt.
He said: “I tried to explain my condition but they were not having it. I don’t get how they can let me return some items but not others.
“They just told me that it’s not their problem, it’s mine.”
He added: “I hate the way I’ve been treated. Younger people disrespect me and they just think I’m stupid but I’m not. I have never been able to secure a job, if I am being honest. My last job was as a barman and I was collecting glasses. But I had to leave that because of this.
“I once took a turn in Morrisons and bought six chickens, six cans of dog food and 12 packets of cat food, even though I don’t have pets. I took it back when I woke. Luckily, one of the members of staff knew someone with the same condition.”
Mark tries not to let his illness get him down. He said: “You just don’t remember your actions very well. When I talk to someone while sleeping, sometimes it’s like I am speaking a different language.
“It just doesn’t make sense. I want to raise awareness. I believe I am on this planet for a reason. I’m actually a fun guy.”
Mark was diagnosed with the disorder when he was 11.
He said: “School was torcher for me. Teachers thought I should go to a disability school because I struggled to pay attention. But they didn’t realise that, although I looked wide awake, I was asleep. You are not in control at all, it’s a nightmare. I wouldn’t be able to tell you when it’s going to happen, it just happens.
“I could be talking to someone face-to-face and I’ll fall asleep, even when I’m on the phone, the phone would just drop on the ground while I take another turn.
“I bump my head, fall, get black eyes and end up in hospital. I’ve got stains on my carpet because of this and I’ve fallen asleep on buses and ended up in Ayr or Kilmarnock because I’ve missed my stop.”
According to Narcolepsy UK, the condition is estimated to affect about one in 2500 people in the UK.
Nicola Rule, from the charity, said: “Automatic behaviour and microsleep are not only hard to explain to others but are very hard to live with, as they are unpredictable and invisible to the sufferer and onlookers.
“It is not at all that unusual for people with narcolepsy to suffer from the same problems as Mark. Even going shopping at night on the websites can be an involuntary action.”
Savers insist Mark was not refunded for some items because they were damaged from a product which had leaked in the bag.
A spokeswoman added: “Mr Doyle has received refunds for unwanted purchases on at least two separate occasions and the service which the team has provided to him has always been in line with our expected standards of service, as well as our refund and exchange policy.”