Is falling asleep being unconscious ?

If there was a formal diagnosis of narcolepsy, then I think that would count as "altered states of consciousness", but it doesn't sound as if that's on the cards.

However, extreme fatigue is something which they should take into account. If you have to be able to do things, "reliably, repeatedly and safely", then exhaustion is likely to undermine most activities.

Clearly you would be in danger operating machinery. You probably do everything very slowly ("fading out" a problem?) and that too can be taken into account.

Some people will think that you could sit at a computer screen, but if you are giving to falling asleep it won't help, and if exhaustion makes you enter the wrong data, or give the wrong replies to a question, then it makes you unable to work. I think you'll get further with that line.

Take a look at the stuff produced for people with ME/CFS on this topic, as well as for MS sufferers.

You couldn't be doing all sorts of things you're asked about in the forms when you're fast asleep. Being asleep would make you incapable of performing them so I'd suggest you answer no to all the questions about things you couldn't do while you're asleep. Quite clearly being like this makes a person unemployable but I doubt it'll make them, in the eyes of the government, unfit for work as there's no relationship between the two.

BB

I looked into this some more. When someone who has sleep apnea is asleep, they need to wear their CPAP because it is prescribed treatment. You cannot reasonably deny people medical treatment for existing dangerous conditions, which sleep apnea undoubtedly is, because you endanger their health. Many people with sleep apnea routinely sleep during the day, possibly as a consequence of reduced oxygen in their blood which is known to cause fatigue. Deny them that sleep, and you deny them their prescribed treatment, endangering their health. A drug like Provigil can stop you sleeping in the day, but it will not enable you to catch up on that sleep at night so the same principle applies. There's your argument I think.

BB

So what about those like myself who rapidly fall asleep for other reasons? Mine is due to my thyroid condition and auto immune problems.

And because of my other incurable condition I can't take any medication at all without causing me terrific pain and spasms.

Surely you take thyroid meds? And have you been tested for sleep apnea? If you're falling asleep a lot it may well not simply be because of your thyroid condition,it could be due to more than one cause. I think you should ask for a sleep study. You might want to have your vitamin D levels checked as well as this too can cause daytime somnolence.

BB

I have Hashimotos disease and although I test high for antibodies my thyroid level is still just about within the normal range although It various quite a lot between blood tests. Thing is If you know anything about this auto immune disease you'd know many people present under active thyroid symptoms even though their blood work comes back within normal range.

It was discovered a few years back in the states that giving under-active patients a small dose of thyroid med kept all the nasty symptoms at bay and helped slow down the the destruction of the gland but when my GP tried to give me course my bladder went went ballistic and I had to stop.

Unfortunaltey to makes matters worse I also suffer from Interstitial Cystitis, incurable auto immune disease which means (in my case) my bladder reacts very badly to many foods, scents, chemical and meds etc. I haven't been able to take any kind of medication for about 7 years now as It would wreck my bladder.

For example I've somehow also managed to pick up a low grade bladder infection on top of everything else which has sent my pain levels sky high, but I can't take a course of antibiotics as I simply wouldn't be able to withstand the pain the tablets would induce in me. And of course I can't take any pain killers as they also end up making my condition a lot worse afterwards to say nothing of inducing bladder spasms and bleeding .

I haven't had a sleep test done yet, but I know It's not due to that alone (If at all). I have other Hashimotos symptoms that I present with and I know from reading thyroid forums fatigue like mine is but one of them.