“Narcolepsy is a daily battle fought over a lifetime.”– Scott
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Tips for Daily Living With Narcolepsy
Finding what works for you can help you live better with narcolepsy.
Living with narcolepsy can be challenging, but there are things you can do that may help lessen the impact of your symptoms.
Healthy Habits for Living With Narcolepsy
Tips for School and Work
Whether you’re a college student or a career professional, certain changes can help you make the most of your day while managing your symptoms. Everyone is different, so it’s important to find what works best for you.
Tips for college students
When possible, schedule your courses intentionally
- Build in breaks to allow for naps
- Schedule important classes for when you are usually most awake and alert
- If possible, ask for extra time on exams or flexible deadlines for assignments
- Have a plan for catching up on information you may miss from class (for example, asking to record lectures or share notes with a classmate or instructor)
- Increase your physical activity to help you feel less sleepy (for example, standing or walking in class or while studying)
- Stay engaged by participating in study groups or discussion-based classes
- For on-campus living, consider requesting a single room so you can stick to a consistent sleep schedule
Tips for work
- Request consistent shifts to allow for a regular sleep schedule
- Ask about a flexible arrival time or work from home days
- Take breaks throughout the day, including breaks for short naps
- Be strategic with your workload
- Break up repetitive, monotonous tasks
- Schedule your most demanding work for when you are usually most awake and alert
- Keep the temperature cool
- Stand or walk during meetings or other activities that make you feel sleepy
People Living With Narcolepsy Share Their Experiences
See what others living with narcolepsy say has helped them in managing their day to day.
- You have to find what works for you. Be intentional in your approach. – Andre
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule. – Sean
- Practice mindfulness or yoga to reduce stress. – Leah
- Try to find a job that provides you a vested interest. – Andre
- Schedule naps during the day. – Matt
Tips for Daily Living With Narcolepsy
Personal Stories of Living With Narcolepsy
Tips for Daily Living With Narcolepsy
Katie, Sharon, Ijeoma, & Leah
Living with narcolepsyHear tips for daily living with narcolepsy from people who have narcolepsy. From building a daily routine to practicing mindfulness, people living with narcolepsy share how they have learned to manage their day to day.
Personal Stories of Living With Narcolepsy
Ijeoma, Sharon, Leah, & Katie
Living with narcolepsyPeople with narcolepsy share their personal stories, perspectives, and insights on living with narcolepsy. They share their thoughts on living a full and productive life with narcolepsy.
Tips for Daily Living With Narcolepsy
Katie, Sharon, Ijeoma, & Leah
Hear tips for daily living with narcolepsy from people who have narcolepsy. From building a daily routine to practicing mindfulness, people living with narcolepsy share how they have learned to manage their day to day.
Personal Stories of Living With Narcolepsy
Ijeoma, Sharon, Leah, & Katie
People with narcolepsy share their personal stories, perspectives, and insights on living with narcolepsy. They share their thoughts on living a full and productive life with narcolepsy.
Healthy Habits for Living With Narcolepsy
Download this handout for tips to keep handy.
Healthy Habits for Living With Narcolepsy
Vivid dream-like experiences that occur while falling asleep or while waking up.
Occurs at night and includes dreams; muscles are not active to prevent people from acting out dreams.
People with type 1 narcolepsy can be diagnosed by their cataplexy or low levels of hypocretin (also known as orexin).
The cause of type 2 narcolepsy is unknown.
Restorative sleep state with decreased muscle tone.
Daytime and evening habits to improve sleep.
Brief total loss of voluntary muscle control when falling asleep or while waking up.
Also known as orexin, hypocretin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that helps maintain wakefulness and prevent non-REM sleep and REM sleep from occurring at the wrong time.
Unintentionally falling asleep due to excessive daytime sleepiness; “sleep attacks.”
The inability to stay awake and alert during the day; a constant need for sleep or unintentionally falling asleep.
A naturally occurring chemical in the brain that helps maintain wakefulness.
Vivid dream-like experiences that occur while falling asleep or while waking up.
Frequent shifts between different states of sleep and wakefulness at night.
Difficulty focusing or concentrating.
Brief loss of muscle tone with retained awareness, often triggered by strong emotions.
Performance of routine tasks without awareness or memory.