National Sleep Awareness Week
National Sleep Awareness Week (NSAW) takes place each year during the week leading up to the return to Daylight Savings Time. In 2008, this week runs from Monday, March 3 through Sunday, March 9. NSAW concludes with the movement of clocks ahead one hour - and since this time change occurs at 2 A.M., many people lose an hour of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation and many of its member organizations plan special events during this week to educate the public about healthy sleep and sleep disorders. Narcolepsy Network also promotes sleep awareness as a member of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART), a coalition of nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations committed to advancing public awareness and education about healthy sleep and sleep disorders.

Awareness events can be conducted at any time throughout the year. There is no time like the present to start preparing to spread narcolepsy awareness in your community, whether during NSAW or at other times of the year. Consider giving a talk at a local school, civic group meeting or public library. Contact us at narnet@narcolepsynetwork.org for ideas, resources and available hand-out materials.

Register Now for The Role of Sleep in Memory and Learning Conference
March 3 -4, 2008 in Washington, DC
Interested in how sleep affects the way we think and learn? Join with NN representatives attending The Role of Sleep in Memory and Learning Conference, a two-day, state-of-the-science meeting hosted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine on March 3-4, 2008, in Washington, DC. The event will bring together top-notch experts in sleep medicine, cognitive neuroscience, and other disciplines to review the neurobiology of sleep and memory, evidence for sleep-dependent learning, and theoretical perspectives of neural activity during sleep. Registration is free and now open on the NSF Web site. Additional details.

While in Washington, we recommend you visit your Senate and/or Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill to educate them about narcolepsy and the needs of our community.

2008 Annual Narcolepsy Network Patient Conference
Narcolepsy Network's 2008 Annual Patient Conference will take place from October 3 - 5, 2008 at The Wyndham Milwaukee Airport and Convention Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Details.

Could You Have Narcolepsy?
If you suspect you or a loved one suffers from an undiagnosed sleep disorder, visit our Sleep Disorders Screening page and complete the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire to measure your level of sleepiness. Instructions are included on what to do if your score indicates you have excessive daytime sleepiness.

Recruitment of African Americans for Blood Study
The Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford University is conducting a study in African Americans diagnosed with narcolepsy. Patients may or may not have cataplexy. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire, provide copies of their sleep-related medical records and arrange locally for a blood sample to be sent to the Center for Narcolepsy via prepaid FedEx for HLA typing. In some cases Stanford will fly subjects to their facilities for further testing. Please call for more information: 800-497-5337

New Study on Body Weight Regulation in Persons with Narcolepsy
The National Institite of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, an agency of the National Institutes of Health, is recruiting patients  and controls for a new study titled "Role of the Orexin System in Body Weight Regulation in Patients with Narcolepsy". While the criteria that must be met in order to enroll in this study are rigorous, we cannot overemphasize the importance of this study in identifying important metabolic aspects of narcolepsy. Take me to this study's website. 

Recruitment of TRIOs for Research
Stanford's Center for Narcolepsy continues to recruit for TRIOs -- persons with narcolepsy and cataplexy, plus both parents -- for genetic studies. There is no cost to participate. Blood samples are delivered to Stanford via prepaid Federal Express return bill. Click here for full details.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Federal law designates the month of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. During this month, the Office of Disability Employment Policy disseminates materials and hosts events to make the public more aware of the skills of Americans with disabilities as well as the issues that face this group. During October, many corporations make information on disabilities available to their employees. Narcolepsy is a disability. We invite U.S. employers and employees alike to click here to request copies of our brochure Narcolepsy Questions and Answers to include in displays in their offices.

2008 Sixth Annual Dream Quilt
The submission date has passed for 2008, but it's never too early to start designing and creating a square for the 2009 Dream Quilt! Squares should express your experience with a sleep disorder or an important message about sleep. Details.

The 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Dream Quilts, each with a unique personality, are currently available for display. To make arrangements to have one or more of these quilts displayed in your community or facility, contact Michelle Hemingway at sleepyseeds@charter.net.

Xyrem now Available at VA
Effective July 26, 2004, the Veteran's Administration authorized all VISN hospitals nationwide to prescribe Xyrem. To date, not all facilities have a VA prescriber who is registered with the Xyrem Success Program. Patients should contact the Xyrem Success Program at 1-888-867-7426 to request Xyrem Physician Success Program materials, including the necessary enrollment forms, be sent to their VA physician. Patients will not be required to pick up their medication from the VA; medication is  sent through the Success Program directly from the centralized pharmacy to the patient's home through the same process as other patients in the system.

Now Available on CD
Presentations from the 2005 Annual Narcolepsy Network Conference are now available for purchase! Please see the Educational Materials page for complete information. 2006 and 2007 conference presentations are expected to be available in the spring of 2008.