I am not diagnosed but would like to know some tips to deal with excessive tiredness and nap attacks
So I don't have a diagnosis yet, and may not even have narcolepsy. I have Long-COVID and it is presenting as that but who even knows with that sort of thing. I have chronic illnesses as well so my doctor and I thought it was just taking me some time to recover. But it is clear that isn't the case since I had COVID in Feb.
So over the last few months waiting to spontaneously recover I have just been dragging through the day. And then napping when I had to, or napping when my brain basically Made me. And my night time sleep is worse because I basically only sleep a few fractured hours and then I am up. But very deeply it seems.
Without a diagnosis I was wondering if there are any tips to dealing with this insane tiredness all the time. Naps sort of help for a short time, some days, and not at all other days.
And the napping is its own problem I do not quite know how to deal with. When I am out in public for too long I can just get Too tired and at that point it is inevitable that I Need to sleep, if I don't, I just start to nod off anywhere. Doing anything. When it happens at home, fine, whatever. But how do you control that level of tiredness to be able to function outside of the house long enough to do things? I started to nod off at a haircut. And I did waiting for my dentist. And then Again when my dentist was IN my mouth. I also did during an MRI. Pretty much any time I am still for too long anywhere at that peak tiredness level. Being chronically ill and having pain and chronic vertigo, napping is a thing I do to manage fatigue levels through the day- but by choice, not this sudden, deep necessary napping sometimes more than once a day. I don't understand this level of tiredness that makes it possible to just fall asleep in public places. And I don't know how to manage it.
Because of the backlog from COVID I could be waiting a very long time for that sleep study. And I want to be able to function outside of the house for more than a very short period of time. Any tips would be more than welcome.
Thank you so much for the tips! Because I am not having fun leaving the house with this unpredictability at all. Or this level of tired.
From reading your case, all the symptoms and situations you describe relate a lot to narcolepsy ones.
Some tips can be drinking caffeine throughout the day, even a energy drink at times when you really need to be awake, fasting during the morning, practicing exercise, meditating, wim hof breathing technique, healthy eating (avoid eating foods with high sugar levels, reduce carbs but never eliminate them, eat more protein), chewing gum, avoid (when possible) being sitted or laying down as you start to get cosy and therefore sleepy, and every now and then wet your face in the bathroom.
Hope it helps in any way.
Salutes.
