Man has painted a ceiling and cooked meals while ASLEEP because of sleeping beauty syndrome.

For most people, painting the ceiling is simply a bore.

But Steve Chapman doesn't blink an eyelid.

In fact, the father-of-two was fast asleep when he scaled a ladder to do the handy-work and went on to cook a meal - all before he woke up.

And he cannot remember a thing.

Suffering from a rare condition which causes him to sleep for around 60 hours at a time, Mr Chapman, 57, had no idea what he was getting up to until his wife spotted the ladder and the newly-immaculate decor.

He can also eat 'dozens' of chocolate bars in his sleep without knowing until he discovers the empty wrappers thanks to the 'Sleeping Beauty' disorder.

Officially known as Kleine-Levin Syndrome, it affects around one in a million people and makes them fall into a deep sleep for even months on end.

Sufferers - predominantly male - are known to experience flu-like symptoms before abruptly falling asleep.

Excessive food intake, hallucinations and an abnormally uninhibited sex-drive can be observed during episodes.

Mr Chapman, from Overton, Hampshire, has suffered symptoms for 33 years and says being diagnosed was a 'huge relief'.

A machine assistant at banknote printer De La Rue, he said: 'It was very distressing for my wife Doreen.

'She once came home and found a ladder in the lounge - I had been painting the ceiling but couldn't remember anything.

'I would even cook myself things to eat. After one episode, my wife found the wrappers from dozens of chocolate bars strewn across the room.'

He describes experiencing a feeling of 'blackness' for two days before his episodes, in which he could be 'active' but have no memory of his actions.

Mr Chapman has been able to keep his job by managing his KLS with medication, and is determined to raise awareness about the condition.

But he said he and his two sons - who are both now grown-up - had found it hard to deal with.

He was diagnosed by specialists after several misdiagnoses and was even being accused of faking his symptoms for several years.

Mr Chapman added: 'The diagnosis has made a huge difference to me.'

Though there is no known treatment for the disorder, doctors sometimes prescribe stimulant pills such as modafinil - though this often provokes irritability.

Adele Clarke, a founding member of KLS Support UK, said: 'KLS is a strange condition which is very hard for sufferers to live with.

'The more awareness there is, the better.'

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