A mum-of-three has revealed her rare sleeping disorder has caused her to spent £3,000 in sleeping internet shopping sprees.
Kelly Snipes, 37, often woke up in the morning to discover email receipts for all sorts of items she'd purchased while fast asleep.
The woman has spent hundreds of pounds on Haribo sweets and even splashed out on £58 worth of cookie jars.
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But Kelly's most bizarre sleep purchase is arguably a full-sized plastic basketball court, which arrived via delivery lorry at her home the next day.
Kelly had to return all the items she'd bought during her online shopping sprees to ensure she doesn't fall into debt.
Her nocturnal shopping behaviour started seven years ago after the birth of her first child, when was found to suffer from a condition called parasomnia.
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She thinks the disorder was sparked by her sleep apnea, which causes her to stop breathing while asleep. This forces her brain to partially wake, making her sleepwalk and sleep shop.
Kelly, from Basildon, Essex, said: "I bought a full size basketball court from Ebay, and when it turned up at my house the next day, I just refused delivery.
"I would never actually have to put any credit card details when when I was buying things online because it was all saved on my phone. It was all on my phone and everything that is on my phone is accessible by touch. I was racking up debt everywhere."
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Kelly was known to sometimes sleepwalk as a child, but her condition worsened following the birth of her first child Henry in 2006.
She added: "When I was 20 weeks pregnant, I took an overdose in my sleep. Because I am diabetic I have to take medicine for it and I overdosed on the metformin.
"I was having a dream that I was speaking to the doctors and I kept saying that I didn't want to take the medicine anymore - but when I woke up I had taken all the tablets.
"Luckily everything was OK - but I was so worried that social services would get involved."
However, after marrying husband Jamie, 40, and the birth of their sons Joey and Carson, now four and three, things escalated and she finally visited the GP.
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Kelly said: "It was horrible, because I didn't know what I was going to do in the night. I was physically exhausted, I felt so drained every day of my life.
"I didn't do anything with my kids, I was constantly in hospital because I wasn't sleeping at night. Every other parent was taking their kids out - my kids thought the hospital was their version of the day out.
"I didn't feel like I could be a mum or a wife. I was piling on the weight because I was eating to try and get my sugar levels up. It was awful."
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But despite several trips to the doctors, Kelly was repeatedly told her symptoms were down to her being tired and stressed.
She added: "Because I have three disabled children, everything just kept putting it down to stress of looking after my children."
It was only when she wrote directly to two consultants pleading for their help that one of them agreed to take on the case.
Dr Samuel suggested a trial of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to keep the airway open and the results have been remarkable.
Kelly said that Dr Samuel could prove that she had stopped breathing 122 times when she was sleeping and diagnosed her with obstructive sleep apnea and parasomnia.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your throat muscles intermittently relax and block your airway during sleep.
Kelly now wears an oxygen mask at night to help regulate her breathing and control both diagnoses - she also hasn't been sleep shopping since.
She said: "When I had the CPAP machine I felt rested and re-energized for the first time in ages. It really has given me my life back.
"Since starting CPAP, I have not had any abnormal sleep behaviours, have not shopped online at night, my headaches have ceased and I am not depressed. If it wasn't for Dr Samuel, I don't know where I would be."
Dr Samuel added: "I am delighted that patients such as Kelly can significantly benefit from the treatment we offer in the sleep and ventilation service."
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