Attending Conventions, With a Sleep Disorder

If you have met me, then you know that I am the biggest nerd possible. Video games, anime, DND, board games, etc.; you name it, I'm more than likely have participated in/or done it! That is to say, I also I love meeting other people that love being nerds!

I have been going to conventions like Comic-Con, Wizard World, C2-E2 since I was a kid. These days, doing conventions on my own and with my partner is amazing, and it's also hard to traverse as someone with idiopathic hypersomnia.

Setting my own schedule

My dad would take my family and I to conventions before I even was released from the hells of middle school. We would spend the weekend taking pictures with other con-goers and buying merch! Although most of the merch I bought as a kid I couldn't display, because my family didn't want me to. Now that I have an apartment with my husband, we have been putting up most of my old posters on display.

Doing conventions as an adult is very different from when I went as a kid. I am not at the whims of my Dad's schedule for conventions and can do my own thing now. Back then he decided on what time we would show up to a convention and how many days we would do.

Having my own schedule to do conventions is way better, because I can decide what time works with my idiopathic hypersomnia instead of hoping my dad doesn't choose a time when I'm asleep and leaves me! (They always try to wake me, but due to my sleep drunkenness its hard for me to get up in the time/speed that they wanted me to).

Trying to attend what I can

These days my friends and I try to do the entire weekend for conventions. They get hotel rooms close to the convention site and walk over to events. Which for me is amazing. But as someone with idiopathic hypersomnia, constant walking/running around, interacting with people, going to panels, etc., for hours on end is a LOT!

Some events at conventions don't end until 2 a.m,. and then things resume at 8 a.m. the next day. This year I even had to pass on a panel my friends were hosting because it was scheduled at 1 a.m.! It sucks because I have to pick and choose what events I can do, which can lead me to sometimes still miss out on events I want to do.

Taking important breaks

There's also not really anywhere to take naps unless I go home from a convention or I go back to the hotel room. Which sucks! I would love to take a breather on the con floor that doesn't entail me sitting on the floor. I do recommend that people who have narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia to look into getting a hotel room! This year I finally had extra funds to join in on my friends' hotel, which helped immensely!

Also I recommend to take breaks, and don't be afraid to pass on events/panels/meetups to take a nap as needed. My friends are also known to do every day of the convention, which is usually Thursday-Sunday. Instead, I try to limit myself to 2 or 3 days to get a full convention experience. So for example I would do Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday of the convention, if I don't do a lot Saturday. Conventions and cosplay are super fun, and it's possible to do it even with idiopathic hypersomnia.