When Laughter Knocks You Down Cataplexy Explained

Episode seven of the Waking Up Tired – Narcolepsy Symptoms Explained podcast is about the one symptom that differs between narcolepsy type one and two, cataplexy. Narcolepsy Type 1 is defined by both excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Narcolepsy Type 2 is characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness but without cataplexy. Because cataplexy varies so muchContinueContinue reading “When Laughter Knocks You Down Cataplexy Explained”

The Shadow Man and Me Terrifying Narcolepsy Hallucinations

Waking Up Tired Narcolepsy Symptoms Explained Podcast In episode six of the Waking Up Tired – Narcolepsy Symptoms Explained podcast, host Di Spillane introduces us to Laura. When Laura first started seeing the Shadow Man — a dark, looming figure who hovered near her bed she thought she was losing her mind. The hallucinations wereContinueContinue reading “The Shadow Man and Me Terrifying Narcolepsy Hallucinations”

Frozen Awake: Erin’s Story of Sleep Paralysis, Hypnagogic Hallucinations and Narcolepsy

“I was awake, but I couldn’t move. I could hear someone say my name—but no one was there.” https://open.spotify.com/episode/2578xNvXmyYjuiu0SdEQfH?si=7Cf34uo9TZW3R9t87O3WFg That was Erin’s first experience of sleep paralysis. She was 16, confused, and terrified. What she didn’t know then was that this moment would mark the beginning of her journey toward a diagnosis of Type 1ContinueContinue reading “Frozen Awake: Erin’s Story of Sleep Paralysis, Hypnagogic Hallucinations and Narcolepsy”

WORLD SLEEP DAY 2024

World Sleep Day, March 15, 2024, Sleep Equity for Global Health.

Sharing Our Stories To Raise Awareness

Being diagnosed at the age of 49 to me meant that I had already lost the majority of my life and therefore I was determined to find the best possible way to get through my remaining years as a person who is ‘Living with Narcolepsy’ the best way that I possibly can.

The Red Herring Story

As mentioned in a previous blog “The Arrival of the Red Herring”, I was given an appointment at the Lyell McEwin hospital to see a neurologist. The initial appointment was daunting as my head was still trying to process this potential MS diagnosis, and to be perfectly honest I was really scared. There are, asContinueContinue reading “The Red Herring Story”

The Importance of Sleep

If you think that cutting back on sleep won’t affect you then think again. Fatigue played a considerable role during the 70s and 80s in some of the worst preventable disasters the world has ever seen. Investigations revealed that sleep deprivation was a significant factor in the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, asContinueContinue reading “The Importance of Sleep”

The Arrival of the Red Herring

During the ongoing fatigue investigation I was also seeing a psychiatrist as I had been diagnosed with depression in 1998 and the fatigue that I was experiencing was thought to be (by the specialists who my work had sent me to see) as a result of my depressed state. If you had lived with beingContinueContinue reading “The Arrival of the Red Herring”