{"id":6964,"date":"2019-05-29T21:10:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T21:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6964"},"modified":"2021-04-08T18:33:22","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T18:33:22","slug":"15-home-remedies-that-help-to-treat-narcolepsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-home-remedies-that-help-to-treat-narcolepsy\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Home Remedies That Help to Treat Narcolepsy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Narcolepsy is a condition that is often misunderstood. The way many people understand it is that it causes patients to fall suddenly asleep without warning. In fact, though, narcolepsy only very rarely causes people to fall completely asleep. Rather, it tends to cause people to feel extremely tired and \u2018foggy\u2019 throughout the day, and to in some cases collapse without warning \u2013 a phenomenon known as cataplexy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of these things are extremely disruptive and can be very dangerous. Therefore, it is important to do everything you can to control the symptoms and to get your condition to a point where it is manageable. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for narcolepsy, but there are medications and management approaches that can help make it far easier to live with. If you combine those with the following natural remedies, then you may be able to continue living a normal and full life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Have a Regular Sleep Schedule<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is thought that the symptoms associated with narcolepsy may actually be caused by low levels of orexin. This is a neurotransmitter <\/a>(brain chemical) that has the role of providing the body with its internal \u2018pacemakers\u2019 \u2013 the internal body clock. With this chemical missing or out of balance, this then makes it hard for us to know when we should be sleeping and when we should be awake. Thus, we end up feeling very alert and awake when we should be tired, and vice versa. The latter is what we most often associate with the condition of course!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a more regular sleep schedule can help with this. There are actually many different factors that tell our bodies when to be tired and when to wake up \u2013 including things like the amount of ambient light, and what and when we have eaten. Social cues and activity levels also play a role.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if you sleep at regular set points, your body will become accustomed to this, and it may help you to feel tired only at the right points.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2 Take Power Naps<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another trick used by many people suffering from narcolepsy <\/a>is to take regular power naps. These are short sleep during the day, which can serve to top back up energy levels and provide stimulation to continue the day.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to power nap correctly, it is important to aim to sleep for around 40 minutes. This way, you should be able to complete one whole sleep cycle before you wake up. If you don\u2019t give yourself that amount of time, then you might instead wake up from a deep sleep and this can cause sleep inertia \u2013 making you feel groggy and increasing the likelihood of waking hallucinations associated with hypnagogic states.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3 Utilize Light<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, there are many different cues that the body uses to know whether it is time to sleep or not. When trying to \u2018hack\u2019 any system, you need to think about all of the different inputs present \u2013 and the human body is no different.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why it\u2019s important to consider using light as a cue for when to sleep and when not to. The bright light that is in the bluer spectrum, has the effect of waking us up and stimulating the production of cortisol<\/a>. Blocking this light, on the other hand, can help to encourage the production of melatonin and other sleep hormones.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why it\u2019s very important not to look at phone screens, computer games, or other bright lights just before bed. Blue blocking shades can help with this.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4 Think About Your Food<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another method you can use to set your own body clock is to think about when and how much you eat. Have you ever noticed how you feel tired and sluggish after a big meal? This is because your body will break down the carbohydrates in the meal, leaving behind the tryptophan. This is then taken to the brain, where it is converted into serotonin <\/a>(the feel-good hormone) and melatonin (the sleep hormone). Meanwhile, the blood and energy that you normally rely on will be directed away from your brain and your muscles and instead to your digestion.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large meal can help to stimulate your sleep then. Likewise, fasting for short periods can help to wake you up \u2013 this is one of the reasons we wake in the morning! And why the first meal of the day is called \u2018breakfast\u2019!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also a strategy used by sports teams that have long flights. By changing the times and amounts they eat, they can shift their body clocks in order to minimize jet lag and thereby help to synchronize to the new local times.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5 Exercise Frequently<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exercising <\/a>is another way to stimulate the body to produce more wakeful hormones. You\u2019ll find with narcolepsy that you are more inclined to fall asleep during boring activities. That\u2019s because there is a lack of the excitatory hormones and neurotransmitters produced when something important or exciting is going on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By exercising, you stimulate the production of adrenaline, cortisol, dopamine, and more. All these things work to elevate your heart rate, increase blood pressure, increase activity in the brain and more. In short, you become far more alert and awake which helps to prevent you from sleeping.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6 Cut Out Alcohol<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol <\/a>is your enemy if you struggle with narcolepsy. That\u2019s because alcohol is a natural sedative or depressant. It works by increasing the amount of GABA in the brain, which is a neurochemical associated with tiredness, and which is known for reducing the amount of brain activity. This makes you feel tired and groggy and the effects are felt doubly when you have narcolepsy and already struggle with wakefulness and brain fog.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, but you might also find that alcohol prevents you from sleeping properly \u2013 it has even been suggested to completely eliminate REM sleep (rapid eye movement), thereby making you less rejuvenated when you wake. Again, falling asleep is something that narcoleptic patients <\/span>already <\/span><\/i>struggle with.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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

Being aware of your own mental state<\/a> is never more important than if you struggle with narcolepsy. It is crucial that you be able to identify whether you are feeling very tired, or whether you are awake and alert enough to continue as normal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first questions many people have about narcolepsy is whether they will still be able to drive. The answer is yes: but only if they avoid driving when they already feel tired, and if they avoid very long motorway journeys that can be soporific for anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is that you need to be responsible and cautious, and you need to recognize your own limitations. This takes time, practice, patience, and an awareness that not everyone will possess.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8 Sleep Monitoring<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another tip is to monitor your own sleep. This can be useful initially for helping to diagnose <\/a>the problem: daytime sleepiness can also be a sign of many other conditions, such as apnea (which causes you to wake up due to difficulty breathing throughout the night). By watching yourself sleep, you can identify what else might be going on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, monitoring your own sleep means you can then become more scientific about sleep hygiene \u2013 creating the optimal conditions for the best night\u2019s sleep. There are many easy changes that can improve the quality of your sleep, and these include such things as keeping the room very dark, keeping the noise to an absolute minimum, setting the temperature correctly, and even learning to recognize your own \u2018chromatype\u2019. The latter refers to identifying the time at which you need to sleep in order to perform your very best.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By making these changes and then monitoring how well you sleep, you\u2019ll be able to see what is working for you. There are a few ways to do this. One is to film yourself as you sleep \u2013 though this can be impractical for numerous reasons. Another option is to use a sleep tracker. Finally, you can try keeping a sleep diary that also includes how you are feeling at any given time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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