Introduction

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes the body to fall asleep at inconvenient times. It’s characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks and cataplexy. Narcoleptic symptoms are triggered by emotions like laughter or excitement, and can strike without warning. It’s estimated that about 200,000 people in the U.S. have narcolepsy — but only 10 percent of those diagnosed with it even know they have it! Because narcolepsy is often misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety, many people don’t get treatment until their symptoms become severe enough to cause problems at work or school. In this blog post I’ll share some of my own experiences with narcolepsy and explain why you should seek treatment if you think you might be suffering from it too:

It’s not sleepiness, it’s narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder. It is not the same as being tired or sleepy; you have narcolepsy because your brain goes into REM sleep faster than it should. This causes “sleep attacks” during the day, when your body needs to be alert and awake.

Narcolepsy is a lifelong condition that affects every aspect of your life in different ways. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about it, but remember: Narcolepsy does not mean that you’re crazy!

Narcolepsy isn’t just tiredness or sleepiness—it’s an illness that affects every part of your life, and people with narcolepsy shouldn’t have to feel ashamed for having this condition.

Narcolepsy is an invisible disability.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes your brain to fall asleep while you’re awake. It’s an invisible disability, in that most people don’t see it or understand it unless they’ve experienced it themselves.

It’s not a psychological disorder, mental illness or psychological problem like depression or anxiety—and isn’t caused by any of these conditions either. Narcolepsy is not something you can choose to have or overcome by will power alone—but can be managed with medication and lifestyle changes for those who are diagnosed with it at an early age (often when children are around 8 years old).

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, not a psychological one.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, not a psychological one. It’s not a mental illness, and it’s not a sign of weakness or laziness. The symptoms are caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep patterns properly—and that is what makes narcolepsy different from just being tired all the time.

While there are some common myths about narcolepsy that we’ve debunked here (like whether you can die from sleepwalking), there are other misconceptions about this disease that continue to persist despite everything we know about it at this point in history. This list will help clear up any confusion around what narcolepsy actually is—and how it affects its sufferers’ lives on a daily basis.

It can be hard to find the right doctor.

Finding the right doctor can be challenging if you don’t know much about narcolepsy. Your doctor may not have ever seen someone with narcolepsy before and may feel nervous about it or unsure what to do. At first, you might also be nervous and unsure of what to do.

It’s important to find a doctor who understands how best to treat your symptoms and overall health, but it can take time to find this person. It’s very possible that you will have to see several doctors before finding one who knows enough about narcolepsy, is willing/able to help you manage all its symptoms, and accepts that there isn’t always a simple solution for everything (even though it may seem like there should be).

The medications are powerful.

The medications are powerful.

Narcolepsy is a chronic condition, and the medications that are used to treat it can be very effective in keeping symptoms under control. However, they may also cause side effects such as drowsiness and fatigue. The goal of treatment is to find the right balance between symptom relief and side effects so that you feel as good as possible while managing your narcolepsy. Your doctor will help determine this balance by adjusting your dosage until you feel comfortable with it

Narcolepsy is expensive.

In addition to the cost of long-term medication, you should be prepared for the many other costs associated with narcolepsy. These include:

• The cost of medical tests including blood work and sleep studies
• The cost of medical visits (if you have a sleep specialist, neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist)
• The cost of getting a home sleep study done instead of going to a hospital or clinic (which can be up to $1,500 per night)

You should seek treatment and talk to people about your condition.

It’s important to seek treatment and talk to people about your condition. This is the best way to learn more about your disease and how it affects you. You should speak with a doctor, or at least consult one, so they can help you decide whether or not you need medication.

You should also talk with other people who have narcolepsy. This will give you an idea of what it’s like for them as well as how they deal with their symptoms on a daily basis. It will also help open up channels of communication between yourself and those around you so that if there are any problems, no matter how big or small, both sides are able to work together in finding solutions that work best for everyone involved!

If possible try searching online for support groups in your area where people suffering from narcolepsy get together online once every couple weeks via Skype call where members share tips/tricks/advice etcetera…so basically just another way that makes life easier haha 🙂 Just thought I’d add this tip since we’re talking about being supportive towards eachother :))

Conclusion

It’s not easy to be diagnosed with narcolepsy, but once you know for sure, there are things you can do about it. The first step is to find the right doctor who understands what narcolepsy is and can help manage your symptoms. Next, make sure your family understands what’s happening so they can support you through this time. Finally, don’t forget about yourself! You deserve all the love and support in the world during difficult times like these—and I hope that by reading this article today we’ve given all of us at least one more bit of information about what it means when someone close says “I’m tired from being up all night.”