Narcolepsy, The Real Sleeping Beauty

Help & Support

Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/NarcolepsyAwarenessEducationAndAdvocacy/

Website:
http://www.narcolepsy.org.uk/

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Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes rapid daytime sleepiness.
Most often it can cause muscle weakness too.
This condition can affect a person anytime and anywhere, even while doing normal activities such as talking and eating.

Linzi Nolan, the real sleeping beauty, kindly agreed to an interview with me in relation to her condition.

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The Interview:

What is your name and age?
Lyndsay Nolan-Martin
38

When were you diagnosed with Narcolepsy?
2001

What symptoms did/do you have?
Extreme tiredness and cataplexy (pass out spells due to my emotions, numb and paralysed).

How was a diagnosis made?
A year of tests at the sleep clinic and GP visits.

What treatment/medication did/do you receive?
Modafinil up until 3 years ago when I stopped taking them due to all the side effects and started herbal and natural methods, eg; green tea and lavender.

Is the condition hereditary?
Doctors said it is still a newish condition but some signs have shown it maybe hereditary.

Is Narcolepsy hazardous to your health?
It took me 10 years to start to have some control over my condition after many falls, bumps, bruises, burns on cooker and contributed to me having depression.

Can Narcolepsy cause psychological problems?
Depression.

Is there a cure?
No cure as the medication only slows down the condition.

Are you aware when an attack will occur?
For the first 10 years I was not aware and that's why I had a lot of injuries.
Over the last few years I am aware of an attack which allows me to go somewhere safe to lie and rest for a few minutes.

What do you do to protect yourself before an attack?
Find a safe place and I have my home very spacious so to stop injuries.

What advice would you give to others in this situation?
Research and speak to people with the condition as it can be very lonely suffering alone.
Through narcolepsy I suffer night terrors which means I live out my dreams, this is extremely scary so again find out what other conditions can come with narcolepsy.