1 reply to this topic

[Heidi L]

Now I don't know why anyone would want to be diagnosed with Narcolepsy- but if you do, here's some tips to make you as sleepy as possible.

• Wear really comfy clothes that are discreet. Sweats, t-shirts, shorts.
• Make sure you are warm. Cold skin makes you less prone to sleep.
• Eat Sugar- Orexin cells are glucose sensitive. The more sugar you eat, the less orexin you will produce. Fruit juice is a really good choice for rapid absorption.
• Eat Gluten- Make some multi grain muffins with wheat, corn, soy and nut flours. These foods contain known allergens which affect the alimentary tract. Since orexin cells line the intestine, this suppresses their function. Wheat Gluten is especially associated with Narcolepsy.
• Don't smoke or drink coffee- caffeine and nicotine activate the frontal cortex and actually do increase alertness.
• Stay inside and wear Sunglasses- Orexin cells are also triggered by light on the retinas. Just looking out the window will stimulate your nervous system.
• Sleep in the chair if they let you. It's much easier to find a comfortable position for the tubes and wires, and we tend to breathe better sitting up.
• Don't forget your pillow.

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Like I said, I don't know why anyone would want a Narcolepsy diagnosis. Luckily, you can also use this information to alleviate your symptoms. I have been in remission for five years. Read my research.

[purpley]

Now I don't know why anyone would want to be diagnosed with Narcolepsy- but if you do, here's some tips to make you as sleepy as possible.

<<SNIP>>

• Eat Sugar- Orexin cells are glucose sensitive. The more sugar you eat, the less orexin you will produce. Fruit juice is a really good choice for rapid absorption.

In reality, eating sugar will wake you up, initially -- lots of people eat food including sugary things to stay awake on night shifts. It's the "crash" that makes people tired. So, if you want to be sleepy for god-knows-what reason, eat something sugary and easily digested (no dark chocolate, though, which has caffeine) on an empty stomach maybe an hour before, and then eat nothing else. Your blood sugar will rise very quickly, your insulin level will spike, and you'll become hypoglycemic afterwards, making you sleepy.

Now, I know you didn't really post this as a way of explaining how to cheat on a sleep test, because I don't think anyone here wants folks to be wrongly diagnosed. I give you credit for a very original way to promote your belief that ALL narcolepsy is caused by gluten sensitivity. The only problem is that it's not. SOME people have gluten sensitivity, but only SOME of those people will have symptoms of narcolepsy. And there are people with narcolepsy who have no evidence of gluten-sensitivity and have gone on gluten-free diets with absolutely no improvement in their symptoms.

It's widely recognized that there is more than one type of narcolepsy (with and without cataplexy, with or without certain genetic findings, etc.) so it makes perfect sense that there is more than one cause. It's like anemia. SOME people will have anemia as the result of a B12 deficiency. If they supplement their vitamin B12, the anemia will resolve. But other people have anemia for a different reason, like an iron deficiency, and they can take thousands of milligrams of vitamin B12 with absolutely no response. The fact that B12 supplementation works for some people doesn't mean that it's the cause of all anemia.

Is it worth trying a gluten-free diet if you have narcolepsy? Sure, since it's a pretty harmless intervention, there's no way to be sure if it will help or not unless you try it, and for a minority of people with narcolepsy, might make a huge difference. But gluten sensitivity is simply not the sole cause of narcolepsy.