What Helps Haley, 27, With Narcolepsy
Editor's Note
Any medical information included is based on a personal experience. For questions or concerns regarding health, please consult a doctor or medical professional.
With our ongoing “What Helps Me” series, The Mighty is leaning into what sets us apart from other health sites: We aim to provide real health advice from real people who live it.
In this spirit, we asked our community for the best insights and tips they’ve developed for managing their conditions. As always, they responded with their unique health stories and we are happy to pass along their well-tested resources to you.
Today, we meet Mighty member Haley. She is 27 years old and lives with narcolepsy.
Haley, what helps you?
THE MIGHTY: What helps you most when your condition affects your physical health?
HALEY: It helps me to take a nap — especially during… lunch break at my college. I also take medicine that helps me stay awake, and it’s… for my other [health] condition [too]. The medicine doesn’t always help me stay awake, so I try to get a little rest in when I can.
What helps you most when your condition affects your mental health?
Naps and meditation help me feel mentally “better,” even though I still feel down at times. [My] type of narcolepsy isn’t taken seriously [in my] family and [friend group]. I go to therapy for my mental health, and the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) I have to be in for my other conditions [also helps my narcolepsy].
How do you cope when your normal self-care isn’t working?
I try to remind myself that it’s OK to need downtime. I [tell myself that I] can’t stop being tired, so I should relax instead. I will [have an easier time] tomorrow if I slow down today.
Thank you to Haley for her contributions to our community. Did you find this helpful? Add your gratitude in the comments.
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Image via contributor.