How Narcolepsy’s Changed The Way I Live My Life

Ways I’ve Changed My Life After Being Diagnosed with Narcolepsy (this title was too long, haha)

It’s me, hi! I’m your local sleepy girl, it’s me 👋🏼

I’ve known that I’ve had sleep issues my entire life, but could never put a finger on what it was. As it progressively got worse in the past 5-6 years, I knew I had to find answers. I went through a number of sleep studies and saw several doctors, and after a long and arduous road filled with much frustration and impatience, I was finally diagnosed with narcolepsy last summer.

In case you don’t know, narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized mainly by excessive daytime sleepiness, but it can vary in severity and can look different for different people. I have Type 2 narcolepsy, which thankfully means that I don’t have cataplexy (when your muscles suddenly go weak and you collapse) but my narcolepsy is accompanied by mood swings, nightmares, forgetfulness, and other symptoms.

I used to feel more like a burden to people when I told them I was too tired to go to or stay at functions and events, especially before I had a diagnosis. I felt like I couldn’t complain because everyone works hard and is tired all the time, but I also couldn’t properly express to people just how exhausted I was, even after a normal amount of sleep.

Now that I have a diagnosis, I feel more empowered to tell people about my condition and to advocate for what my body needs. I hope you’ve learned a little more about narcolepsy and ways that you can support/encourage someone with narcolepsy in your life based on what I shared in the slideshow ♥️

#lemon8partner #embracevulnerability #wellnessdiary #chronicillness #sleep #healthjourney #health #wellness #wellnessjourney #vulnerability