From WENN.com

Filming on the fifth season on the cult TV drama ground to a halt last month (Jul12) when the 63 year old decided to address his issues.

Noble, who has suffered from a combination of insomnia and sleep apnea for years, was hospitalised in order for doctors to discover what was wrong, and the star is grateful for his TV bosses' understanding.

He tells America's Entertainment Weekly, ""I couldn't even think... I was working and going: 'This is really hard.' People were so b**ody supportive, it was really touching.

""I basically hit a wall, and we had to deal with it. I went to the hospital, had all the tests, and we put the strategies into place to deal with both of those issues, including the space-age mask that I wear to bed now. It's pretty unsightly.""

Noble is now back at work and he adds, ""I'm feeling more well rested now and sleeping better than I have in 20 years.""