dr. schenck these patients are putting themselves in great physical danger. >> people put napkins in toaster're talking about major risk of injuries. >> i woke up in bed, covered in blood, looking on the sheets. i'm checking it out to see where it is. my front tooth was gone. i fell down the stairs and completely tore my knee out and had to have the acl reconstructed. we tried physical restraints against medical advice. >> reporter: what happened? >> they don't work. >> reporter: for anna the damaging effect of her sleep eating may have nothing to do with any serious physical injury, when you talk about this condition, what kind of reaction do you get? >> they laugh. >> reporter: do you ever get the impression that people think that you're making an excuse of being overweight sf. >> most definitely. people perceive it as a will power problem and it's not. there are a lot of people out there who suffer from this. it. >> how are you doing? >> with the help of her sleep specialist, anna has found occasional success with a combination of drugs, but work on her brain to lessen her sleep eating as