Sleeping Beauty Queen To Compete For Miss USA

This beauty queen has trouble just staying awake.  

She suffers from the sleep disorder known as narcolepsy, and she can fall into a deep sleep anytime, anyplace.

“Having narcolepsy is pretty challenging for me,” she said.   

Kristen Girault is Miss Louisiana USA, and is competing in the Miss USA contest that airs Sunday on NBC.

Kristen said, “My teachers used to throw erasers at me in class or complain that I was always falling asleep.”  

Her narcolepsy isn't nearly as bad as another famous example. The little toy poodle named Skeeter suffered an uncontrollable urge to sleep all the time. He would fall asleep sitting up, or even nod off when he was eating.

Kristen, a New Orleans Saints cheerleader, was diagnosed with narcolepsy in 2009 when she fell asleep at the wheel of her car while stopped at a red light.

“When I fell asleep, my foot came off the brake and I hit the car in front of me,” she said of the incident.

But this sleeping beauty promises she'll stay wide awake as she goes for the Miss USA crown.