Iris Vasconcelos

Living with narcolepsy is a rollercoaster of realities that often collide, leaving me caught between wakefulness and dreams in a way that's far from whimsical. Let's walk through the raw...

The first stimulant I was introduced to was Modafinil, and as much as I used to view it as one of the best and most memorable moments, I now realize...

Living with narcolepsy is a unique and often misunderstood journey, marked by the ever-present stigma that infiltrates various aspects of our lives. Unlike many other chronic conditions, narcolepsy doesn't come...

When I express how much I want to live on my own again, people always ask me, “Is it a good idea to live alone with narcolepsy?” It’s a question...

Aside from the condition itself, there's an added burden tied to narcolepsy that hardly receives recognition — the struggle to be financially independent. In an ideal world, money would be...

As the years go by, there's a subtle weight that descends, a deepening sensation of isolation that accompanies the unrelenting hold of narcolepsy. It is more than the neverending struggle...

I’ve realised that since I was diagnosed with narcolepsy, I’ve learned so much about myself, and I continue to do so the more time goes by. For a while, I...

When I was diagnosed with narcolepsy at 28 years old, there were many things I worried about... but my weight was certainly not one of them. Like most recently diagnosed...

Narcolepsy is no laughing matter. As a matter of fact, no chronic illness is something to laugh about. Having said this, I do believe that humour and chronic illness aren’t...

Living with narcolepsy isn't just an individual journey; it's a shared experience within the intricate web of family dynamics. While we hope for understanding and support from our loved ones...

I’ve been diagnosed for almost 6 years now, and as much as it feels like it was only yesterday... it also feels like an entire lifetime has gone by. Throughout...

As someone who regularly experiences hallucinations, it’s a topic that I find especially interesting. There is so much that we don’t understand, and even that the scientific community still doesn’t...

For as long as I’ve known myself, I’ve been aware that my memory is not the best. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with my narcolepsy (it...

Being diagnosed with narcolepsy changes your life in many ways. There are some changes which are easy to notice from the outside — things like taking naps during the day...

Having narcolepsy can often go hand in hand with having parasomnias. While anyone can suffer from parasomnias, those of us with narcolepsy are much more likely to experience them compared...

There are so many things that we have to conceal from the world every single day. Everyone is going through their own struggles, and in "polite society," we all must...

Narcolepsy is a chronic, invisible illness. This means that many of our symptoms are unable to be seen by the outside world. Therefore, people can unintentionally forget its existence, which...

Most people will never understand the difficulties of living with narcolepsy. For many people, studying is already a hard enough task, but for those of us with narcolepsy, it can...