Living with Narcolepsy is not an easy thing to do. Narcolepsy impacts every aspect of your life and can make completing daily tasks and working seem like a huge task.
What is Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is known as a neurological disorder that causes persistent sleepiness and additional symptoms that can range from muscle weakness, hallucinations, episodes of paralysis when falling asleep or waking up, and fragmented sleep. Usually, there is a sudden onset of symptoms, or symptoms tend to typically develop for several months and years.
It is more common for Narcolepsy to begin at a young age, but it is often diagnosed in older patients in their late 40 and 50’s. It is estimated that about 1 in every 2,000 people have Narcolepsy.
There are Two Types of Narcolepsy
It is now recognized that there are two different types of narcolepsy: narcolepsy with cataplexy and narcolepsy without cataplexy. Narcolepsy with cataplexy presents itself with muscle weakness that is triggered by strong emotions. Narcolepsy without cataplexy tend to have sleepiness but show no signs of muscle weakness that is triggered by emotions.
Daily Life
Narcolepsy can present daily living to be a challenge. People who have narcolepsy may experience mental fogginess, poor memory, and hallucinations. People that have narcolepsy deal with personal and social impacts from this diagnosis.
Self-esteem, social relations, and quality of life are concerning to patients who have narcolepsy. Many struggle with mental fogginess, memory issues, sleepiness, and hallucinations. Struggling with these symptoms daily can make your overall quality of life difficult and a hassle.
Managing Life with Narcolepsy
People and friends can work together to help manage narcolepsy symptoms and activities. By educating your friends and family on narcolepsy, you can feel supported by your loved ones, but also can help come up with a game plan should you ever fall into an Narcolepsy episode during the day and at night.
Support Groups
A good way to not feel along with your narcolepsy diagnosis is to join local support groups and attend meetings. By doing so, you are allowing yourself to feel validated and meet people who are going through the same struggles that you may be going through due to Narcolepsy. By having a support group that you can go to and talk to others with, it will make you feel much better to know that you are not alone with this diagnosis and that people can relate to you. While support groups are great for gathering and talking, visiting the Jacksonville Sleep Center can be beneficial. We are professionals that have years of practice and want to increase your quality of life and sleep cycle. We can educate you on narcolepsy and help you deal with it.
