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Re: Narcoleptic Insomniac?

Posted by seabrooke on September 15, 2005 at 17:34:22:

In Reply to: Re: Narcoleptic Insomniac? posted by jclx3 on September 15, 2005 at 16:36:24:

Yes not all narcoleptics fall asleep uncontrollably. However I get so tired that if I don't take a nap I will suffer fighting off the sleepiness. Sure maybe in the first few years I was able to fight it off better then I do now. After a while your body and mind can't handle it anymore. It does occur rarely where I will actually fall asleep without noticing that I did. This only occurs if I am not on medication and I have gone days neglecting my sleep habits. Also it depends on the enviroment I'm in. But I can always feel an attack coming on sometimes hours before they happen. Basically almost 99% of the time I feel VERY sleepy to the point where most people could not stand it.

So this myth about narcoleptics falling face first in their soap is not really true. That wouldn't be narcolepsy. It would be more of a fainting illness than N. The only way I can see a narcoleptic doing this is if they are so sleepy to the point that they cannot fight it off anymore and uncontrollably fall asleep. But most narcoleptics aren't able to pass this point of sleepiness. We feel the sleepiness coming on "way" before this would happen. Plus anyone around the narcoleptic would notice that they didn't look to good!

I think what people see in the movies about narcolepsy is actually a confusion between narcolepsy and cataplexcy.

SOOOOOO narcoleptics "generally speaking" just don't fall over and start sleeping. The term "uncontrollable" sleepiness really means that the "sleepiness/ fatique" is so servere that a person cannot fight it off and is forced to take a nap.

Also understand that not all narcoleptics have the same symptoms or serverity of symptoms. Some narcoleptics only have mild cases that really doesn't effect them.

Have you been diagnosed with narcolepsy or are you questioning whether or not you have it?

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