Have You Heard About Narcolepsy?

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello everyone! 

How's everything going? 🤗

Have you heard about Narcolepsy before? Narcolepsy is considered a neurological >nervous system< disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep and wakefulness.

If you have narcolepsy, you experience excessive daytime sleepiness and may have uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the daytime. These sudden sleep “attacks” may occur during any type of activity and at any time of the day.

Symptoms of narcolepsy include:

Disrupted nighttime sleep: this symptom is described as frequent awakenings during the night. 

Automatic behavior: this symptom is described as falling asleep for several seconds but continues to perform routine tasks, such as eating, talking, driving or writing, without any awareness or later memory of ever doing the task. 

Excessive daytime sleepiness: All patients with narcolepsy have this symptom. In general, this interferes with normal activities like work, school, home life, social activities every day. Although brief naps during the day may help you feel rested and alert, tiredness returns within one to two hours. People with this report mental cloudiness, a lack of energy and concentration, memory lapses, a depressed mood and/or extreme exhaustion.

Sleep paralysis: this symptom is the inability to move or speak just before falling asleep or just after waking up. Episodes of sleep paralysis usually go away after a few seconds to a few minutes.

Here Are Some Tips To Stay Awake With Narcolepsy: 

Rest Best at Night: 

• Relax before turning in. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime.
• Try to go to bed at the same time each night.
• If you wake up during the night, avoid reaching for your phone or other electronics. Screens stimulate, not relax, you.

Watch Your Carbs: Some people feel drowsy after a big meal. That can be especially true if you have narcolepsy. Limit sugar and other carbs to stay more alert. Eat smaller meals and snack on nuts, berries, and other nutritious foods in between.

Move around: walk around every 20 minutes or so to stay alert. If you work at a desk, get up and visit the break room.

• Stand up when you read emails and texts.
  
• Walk to the bathroom even if you don’t need to go.
• Pace while talking on the phone.

Keep Cool: cold feet may help keep you awake. One study found that people with narcolepsy tend to have warmer skin temperatures in their fingers and toes. Cooler hands and feet made the people in the study more alert. You can dial down your body warmth with special cooling clothing, by avoiding warm drinks or meals, or using fans to keep your hands and feet chilled.

Exercise: physical activity ramps up your metabolism but also may help you rest better at night. Find something you can enjoy and stick with at least 20 minutes per day. Think tai chi, dancing, weight training, gardening, swimming, or tennis. Finish your workouts at least 3 hours before bedtime so you can wind down for restful slumber.  

Schedule Naps: try to take several cat naps of about 15-20 minutes every day. But cap your dozes to no more than 30 minutes.

These are just a few tips that can help with Narcolepsy. I wonder if anyone else has more tips or more information about this topic. It'd be great to see and read comments about it 😴😊

Have a wonderful day! 

[YojanaFitbit]

Actually, people with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking, but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day. Many individuals with narcolepsy also experience uneven and interrupted sleep that can involve waking up frequently during the night as you said and narcolepsy can greatly affect daily activities. I didn't know it has name. 🤔

[WilsonFitbit]

@YojanaFitbit Thank you for your insights! 😉

Another thing is that when this is left untreated, narcolepsy can be socially disabling and isolating. It often leads to the onset of depression. 😔

See you around.