![]() ![]() My mom suggested I bring my paper to my next doctor's appointment. Although the exact cause of narcolepsy isn't known, it's linked to low levels of chemicals called hypocretin, which regulate wakefulness. The more I learned about it, the more sure I became that I had it. That's when I came across a condition called narcolepsy. So when I was assigned a research paper for school, I decided to investigate my symptoms myself. They took me to a series of doctors and I had test after test, but no one seemed to know what was wrong. My symptoms were so weird that I didn't feel comfortable talking about them with anyone besides my parents, who were as confused and concerned as I was. I remember leaving my cousin's house one day when she said something funny I had to hang onto the door to keep from falling down. My jaw would lock and I'd find it hard to stay upright. When anything scared me or made me laugh, I wouldn't fall asleep, but my entire body would go limp. (Heal your whole body with Rodale's 12-day liver detox for total body health.) RELATED: 8 Things Women With "Invisible" Diseases Want You To Know But when I woke up 10 minutes later, I'd realize I hadn't finished anything. If I fell asleep after school, I'd dream I was doing my homework. "Snap out of it!" I'd try to lift a finger but couldn't-until my coach's voice rose to make sure everyone was paying attention.Įach time I fell asleep, I had extremely vivid dreams. "Move your arm!" I remember telling myself. I'd lean against the wall and feel myself nodding off. After we finished working out, we'd all sit down in the gym while our coach went over new plays. Soon I started nodding off anytime I sat still for more than a few minutes, including during basketball practice. I knew this wasn't run-of-the-mill fatigue, but I couldn't figure out what was going on. "I sleep all the time!" I kept insisting. Still, my teachers thought I was being lazy-the stereotypical "tired teenager"-and called my parents. I liked school, was in good health, and went to bed by 9 p.m. Exhaustion would hit and the only thing that woke me was my head jerking backwards as it fell toward my desk. When I was 15, I suddenly found myself unable to stay awake during school. This article was written by Ashley Starr as told to Stephanie Booth and provided by our partners at Prevention.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |