The blog world is rich with information, sharing, advice, etc so now I’m asking you for help…
You see, I think I’m narcoleptic:
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in which a person experiences extreme fatigue and possibly falls asleep at inappropriate times, such as while at work or at school. Narcoleptics usually experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which is often confused with insomnia. When a narcoleptic falls asleep they generally experience the REM stage of sleep within 10 minutes; whereas most people do not experience REM sleep until after 90 minutes. There is no evidence to suggest that narcoleptics tend to have a shorter life span.
Let’s pick this apart shall we:
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness? Check. I yawn about 30 times an hour and my eyelids are heavy with fatigue
- Falls asleep at inappropriate times, such as while at work or at school? Check. Would you believe I never fell asleep all through school, college and graduate school, but I have fallen asleep at work usually during a meeting, but this has happened more times than I’d like to count.
- Narcoleptics usually experience disturbed nocturnal sleep? Check. I wake up a million times of night and have very unrelaxing dreams. I rarely feel rested when I wake up.
- ..often confused with insomnia? YES! I can fall asleep fine, but cannot stay asleep and have thought it was due to insomnia
- There is no evidence to suggest that narcoleptics tend to have a shorter life span Phew! I was worried
Okay so I’m sort of joking but not really. I can barely keep my eyes open lately. I have been getting in bed before 9p and within minutes am fast asleep drooling on my Kindle (so says the hubby). I will awake at 11p to turn off the lights and then proceed to wake up continuously throughout the night.
Since I’m a morning person I am still able to bolt out of bed the instant the alarm goes off. AND I’m extremely productive at work up until noon and then fatigue hits me like a brick wall.
Here are the things that I do that negatively affect my sleep:
- Drink vino before bed (good to fall asleep not to stay asleep)
- Allow cats to sleep in bed…on my head…all night
- Sleep with fan blowing on me (not sure if this is an issue…)
- Night sweats
- Read true-crime murder mysteries before falling asleep
- Don’t eat several hours before going to bed
- PJ issues?
Here’s the flip side and what I do well:
- Greatly reduce activity ~2 hours before bedtime
- Quietly read alone before bed
- Evening stretches
- Change sheets and pillowcases frequently
- Get at least 8 hours of ‘sleep’ a night
- Generally wake up around the same time on weekends and weekdays
- Afternoon workouts
So what gives? Why can I not stay awake to save my soul? It’s gotten so bad that I can barely go out on the weekends without being painfully uncomfortable with the need to stay awake.
You may say I am run down? Yes, this could be true — I have been working like a mad woman as of late, but I am still working out, eating well (overall), and providing myself 8 hours of sleep time.
Do you think this is narcolepsy?
Any foods / vitamins you recommend to keep me more energized? Or to keep me in a more restful sleep?
Any other suggestions?
