Mysterious condition kills young Chinese workers in their sleep

Young workers in a major Chinese factory have begun dying in their sleep in a terrifying trend linked to exhaustive work hours.

According to the Epidemiological Study of Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) at least 1124 deaths were recorded in the Chinese city of Dongguan between 1990 and 2013.

Most of the victims were male and aged between 21 and 40, with more than 90 per cent of them coming from production line jobs.

Autopsies revealed the victims were not suffering from a terminal illness or an injury, and were otherwise healthy.

Zhang Yiri, an associate professor from Guangzhou City Polytechnic, put the rise in SUDS cases down to Dongguan's unreasonable payment system, which encourages people to work overtime.

"Many bosses pay very low base salaries to workers. But the payment for overtime work is higher," Mr Zhang told The Straits Times.

"Therefore, many people apply for overtime to earn extra money," he said.

Source: The Straits Times, Business Insider