Getting Up in the Morning - Things that we do to cope
with the everyday problems associated with Narcolepsy
Getting up in the morning is the hardest thing I have to deal with every
day. Here are two methods I use the help me.
Method 1
I will take medicine and go back to sleep. After an hour I am ready
to get up and suspect that is how normal people feel when they get up in
the morning. Some preparation is necessary the night before. I have to
make sure that my meds are next to the bed with a glass of water and an
alarm clock to wake me. Once the alarm goes off, regardless of how I feel,
I muster enough energy to take my meds and go back to sleep. I usually
do this on the weekends because I do not have to get up as early as I do
for work.
Method 2
During the week I get up very early for work. Once I muster enough
energy to sit up and take my medicine (Ritalin), I force myself to get
to the shower. Once the water is warm, I get in and sit down (it really
is ok to sit down while taking a shower and maybe even safer.) I also found
it important to get my head wet right away. After about 20 minutes I am
able to finish up and get out. Next is the routine of getting dressed.
I do it the same way every morning. After finding something to eat, almost
an hour has passed since I took the meds and I am safe drive to work. It
is only by establishing a routine and determination (will power) that this
works. My wonderful wife helps me with this by making sure that my clothes
are in the same place. I also enjoy my job. When I worked places that I
did not like (not fun, rat-race, just plain terrible), it was 100 times
harder to get out of bed.
If you want to try these methods here are some tips. Yes, it does not
feel good to get up. Yes, for some it is painful. Yes, sometimes it is
hard to find the knob to the bathroom door and having the lights on does
not help. Yes, it will be the hardest thing you do that day. No, you will
not drown in the shower if you fall asleep, just make sure the drain is
open. Establishing this routine will take a month or two. YOU CAN DO IT!
Do not let this disorder control your life. I am not saying you can control
the effects of this disorder. I am saying that you control your life by
how you deal with it. We can accomplish anything a normal person can. We
just have to go about it in a different way. When you have successfully
gotten up and are ready to take on the day, please remember this:
You have already accomplished more in the first hour than most people
will accomplish in an entire day.
You are more that welcome to post it our your forum and
thank you for asking. It is there to help people. Please reference
where you found it (http://www.cataplexic.com/)and
it is ok to include my email address.
Indeed there is a stigma about sleep disorders especially when dealing
with EDS. However there are many that share your same problems and
you are not alone. If your sleep problems are affecting your "ability
to function" make sure the doctor knows that. Those are key word
that should help them be more aggressive in treating your symptoms.
However you better be able to explain how you are not able to function
because they do watch closely people looking to speed type drugs.
Another help forum you may want to check out is www.narcolepsy.org
It is an email based support forum. It is a very active board with
a lot of good people interested in helping each other.
