First of all, I do get enough sleep at night.
I’m having a sleep study done in a few weeks. One of the things they want to rule out is narcolepsy. Excessive daytime sleepiness is definitely a problem for me, but if I nap I don’t wake for a long time… like 4 hours. If I drift off in the evening, chances are I’ll be asleep until morning. If I tell someone to wake me up, I won’t wake up when they try. I vaguely remember talking to them, but no matter how much I wanted to make sure I didn’t spend that long sleeping, I would. I’ve also always had a really, really hard time waking up in the morning. This has been a big problem for me in terms of getting to work, school, appointments, and getting my son off to school on time.
Anyways, my question is just a general one about narcolepsy… I’ve read that people with narcolepsy generally feel better after a nap. How long are these naps, and are they unable to stay awake if someone tries to get them up during a nap?
I don’t have any of the symptoms of sleep apnea, nor has anyone ever told me that I gasp for breath in my sleep. I only rarely fall asleep involuntarily, but I take an ADD medication that is also used to treat narcolepsy, and my sleep doctor thinks it could be masking the problem by unintentionally treating it.
My question though isn’t about falling asleep, it’s about waking up.
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