{"id":6958,"date":"2019-05-29T21:07:41","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T21:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6958"},"modified":"2021-04-08T18:18:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T18:18:55","slug":"14-lifestyle-tips-to-easily-manage-narcolepsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-lifestyle-tips-to-easily-manage-narcolepsy\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Lifestyle Tips to Easily Manage Narcolepsy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Narcolepsy is a condition often played for laughs in media. Falling asleep without warning may understandably seem humorous. However, in reality, there is truly nothing funny about this condition which can even be fatal in some cases.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In narcolepsy, a person might fall asleep without warning when driving, when descending the stairs, or when generally in unsafe conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is actually relatively rare \u2013 and another example of the inaccurate portrayal of the condition by the media. What\u2019s actually much more common is excessive daytime tiredness and brain fog. These conditions can make it extremely difficult to play an active role in what is going on around you and to perform at your best in your career and relationships. For these reasons, it\u2019s very important to find ways to properly manage the condition and to prevent it from taking over your life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news? Someone with narcolepsy can still lead a full and largely normal life \u2013 as long as they know how to manage the condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of things you can do to make life easier and avoid a serious accident.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Take Day-Time Naps<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Day-time naps are one of the most potent tools that narcolepsy <\/a>sufferers have in their arsenals. Day time naps provide a way to \u2018top-up\u2019 on sleep, and may even be enough to provide hours of additional productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing to recognize about day-time naps is that they work best when you allow a full sleep cycle to occur. This should be around 40 minutes in most cases \u2013 though than can vary significantly. Investing in a fitness tracker that is able to monitor sleep stages and wake you at the best time might well be a good move for someone with the condition \u2013 and learning to monitor your own sleep patterns is generally a very good piece of advice.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a quiet spot, and take 40 minutes out. The best time of day to do this is at 4 pm, which is one of the points at which our bodies are coolest and ready for downtime.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2 Learn to Self-Assess<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Self-assessment <\/a>is a key skill for anyone with narcolepsy. One of the most common questions surrounding this condition is whether or not it is safe for someone with narcolepsy to drive. The answer is yes: but only if they are careful and they recognize their own limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By assessing your own condition, you will be able to judge whether or not you are safe to drive. Likewise, you will know how likely you are to be able to drive long distances. Many people with this condition can drive around the local area, but it would not be wise to drive much longer distances on the motorway which is tiring and soporific. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure, the speaker with your doctor. They might suggest you take a Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (WMT) which is designed to test how able you are to remain awake even during boring circumstances. This will give you a good idea of your own capability, and from there you should attempt to monitor yourself closely.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3 Remain Physically Active<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The MWT works by testing whether you can stay awake in the most difficult of conditions. Why does being bored make you more likely to fall asleep?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narcolepsy is likely to be caused by a deficiency of orexin \u2013 the sleep regulation neurotransmitter<\/a>. This means you feel tired at the wrong times, and vice versa.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this has nothing to do with your activity levels, the effect on its own is not strong enough to cause you to fall asleep \u2013 only to be conducive to it. If you were being chased by a lion, then the body would not want you to fall asleep just because it was past your bedtime! Thus, stimulating activities such as this \u2013 and such as exercise, or speaking with friends \u2013 help to produce wakefulness-promoting hormones and neurotransmitters such as cortisol, adrenaline, acetylcholine, and others.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By remaining physically active, you can reduce your likelihood of falling asleep. If you <\/span>do <\/span><\/i>need to engage in a boring and repetitive task, try to make it more stimulating by gamifying it, or perhaps playing loud music.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4 Avoid Alcohol<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol <\/a>should be a no-go for those with narcolepsy for several reasons. For one, this increases the production of GABA \u2013 the inhibitory neurotransmitter that makes us feel groggy. This is also produced when the body is getting ready for bed, at which time it makes it harder for us to think quickly. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By drinking alcohol on top of a skewed neurochemical profile, you can become far more sluggish and confused than normal. Not only that, but alcohol can also damage the quality of your sleep later that night \u2013 potentially completely ridding you of REM. This can then lead to more severe hallucinations and issues during the day. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many other things you should likewise avoid. For instance, melatonin and sleep tablets may not be a good idea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5 Choose the Right Career<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, those who know how to manage their condition should be able to continue with relatively normal lives. This includes holding down a normal career.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there are some jobs that lend themselves better to bouts of collapsing than others. These collapses are called sleep attacks, or cataplexy, and don\u2019t usually involve a loss of consciousness \u2013 simply a loss of muscle <\/a>tone that causes the body to slump \u2013 as though sleeping.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thereby, you should avoid repetitive jobs that put you in a position of compromised safety. For instance, construction work might not be a good choice \u2013 working on scaffolding and spending long periods drilling or hammering can be a recipe for disaster. Likewise, driving long distance should not be a part of your regular job.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many jobs that are much better suited, however. For instance, working in an office, or working from home, means that you will be less likely to get hurt during a sleep attack. Likewise, try to seek out work that you find interesting and naturally stimulating \u2013 to avoid letting it send you to sleep!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6 Practice Good Sleep Hygiene<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sleep hygiene means thinking about the way you create your sleep environment (is it dark and quiet?), the things you do before bed (which should be non-stimulating), and more. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, sleep is something that can be improved upon with a little discipline and understanding, and by taking these strides you can wake up feeling more rested and thereby reduce many of the other unwanted symptoms <\/a>of narcolepsy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, combine this with self-monitoring and fitness tracker to try and see what is working and what has no effect. We\u2019re all different.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7 Consider Diet<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many aspects of your diet <\/a>can impact your wakefulness. Eating very large, heavy meals, for instance, will create a flood of serotonin which will convert to melatonin (the sleep hormone). Meanwhile, your energy will be redirected from the brain and muscles to the digestive system, leaving you less mobile.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this can make it much harder to stay awake, and thus \u2018little and often\u2019 should be the credo of a narcoleptic diet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, you should think about foods that are naturally sleep-inducing (like cherries) and try to avoid them. Caffeine has experts divided: with some saying that it is useful for increasing focus and energy, and others saying that it can further confuse natural biological rhythms. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8 Use Medication<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, listen to your doctor and take any medications <\/a>they prescribe. There are numerous effective treatments for narcolepsy that won\u2019t cure the problem but will lessen many of the symptoms. Modafinil, for instance, is a drug that is believed to work on orexin and thereby to help recalibrate the body\u2019s natural rhythms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, is that modafinil has also been shown to be effective at promoting wakefulness in healthy patients \u2013 and can even be used to improve performance at work! It does come with a few side effects, however, such as more frequent bowel movements.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider these factors and combine the ones that are relevant to your experience. In doing so, you can build a normal, safe, and healthy lifestyle in spite of your condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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