Her story may sound like a familiar fairytale.
But for Poppy Shingleton, being a real-life Sleeping Beauty means missing birthdays, Christmases and holidays rather than waking up to a handsome prince.
The nursing student, 24, has a rare condition which means she can fall asleep with no warning for up to a week at a time.
She is one of just 1,000 worldwide sufferers of Kleine-Levin Syndrome, also known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.
Miss Shingleton said: “I slept through my 18th birthday. I’ve slept through Christmas and not woken up until after the New Year. It does get me down and I miss out on the social side.”
She studies at Southampton University to stay close to parents Graham, 57, and Jenny, 48, both teachers in the city. “Mom and Dad come and pick me up if I fall into an episode, put me in the car and take me home,” she said.
Miss Shingleton developed the disorder when she was 18. Her condition meant she missed weeks of school at a time and was forced to re-sit her A-levels.
Fearing her drink had been spiked at the party, Miss Shingleton confided in her parents who took her to hospital.
She was sent home after doctors told her it was too late to run toxicology tests.
But when it happened again three weeks later, Miss Shingleton didn't wake up for another week.
She said: “That's when I knew my drink hadn't been spiked - something was definitely wrong with me. It was very frightening.”
Her worried parents immediately took her to their local GP who referred her to a neurologist at Bath Royal United Hospital.
Over the next couple of years, doctors carried out various tests including brain scans and a muscle biopsy. One specialist even misdiagnosed her condition as depression and chronic fatigue.
Eventually, some friends of hers saw a documentary about a girl with Kleine-Levin Syndrome and told her they thought she had it.
After speaking to members of the Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation, she was put in touch with sleep specialists at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, who diagnosed her with the condition last year.
Experts don't know what causes it and there is no known cure, but it can be controlled by a combination of stimulant drugs to stay awake and sleeping tablets to help get a better quality of sleep. Most people grow out of the condition as they reach adulthood.
Miss Shingleton added: “I seem to only have episodes about every three months now. I don't know if that's because I'm growing up.
“I finish university in September and I'm applying for jobs at the moment. I'm determined not to let my condition get in the way of life.”
Speaking about how her condition affects her she said: “I feel totally detached and spaced out. It's very hard to describe. It's almost like I'm watching myself.
“I have to be left alone and I don't like people talking. I sign like I'm writing on a blackboard or I point.
“I want things done my way and I like to be surrounded by familiar things to reassure myself I'm not in a dream.” - Daily Mail