Can’t Sleep, Won’t Sleep: Narcolepsy Rituals for a Sleepy Night

From late-night baking sessions, to impromptu midnight reading sessions, here are some of the activities that I get into when I can’t sleep, because my brain has decided it is time to be awake when it shouldn’t be.

You see, I happen to have narcolepsy. It’s a condition that decreases the brain’s ability to control being asleep and awake.

4 activities for better sleep with narcolepsy

Although it seems somewhat counter-intuitive, insomnia can be indicative of a sleep disorder like narcolepsy. Not to mention, it can be scary to go to sleep with narcolepsy. When falling asleep means that I’ll probably fall into a nightmare, I tend to get pretty tense.

Nightmares and sleep-paralysis hallucinations have kept me awake out of fear far more nights than I can count.

Baths

Baths are one of those activities that are sure to make me drowsy enough to drift off to sleep. It’s something about the smell of the soap and the warmth of the water that just feels safe.

An extra warm bath is sure to make anyone sleepy! (Especially if you’re chronically sleepy like me.)

Podcasts

This may seem to be an unconventional approach to symptoms of insomnia – After all, listening to someone talk can be distracting or disruptive while trying to sleep.

For me, though, this technique is born purely from strategy. Falling asleep to an educational podcast ensures that I not only absorb some of the material, but also utilize deep thinking for quieting my mind.

As I strategize and map-out the topography of new information, delivered ever-so-conveniently, I find my mind quieting down on its own. Eventually as I start to doze off, all of the talking melts together into this white noise.

And when I wake up throughout the night it is comforting to wake up to the same voice going on and on about sea squids or financial literacy.

Exercise

Personally, I find exercise very helpful in getting me to bed. Not only do I tend to fall asleep faster after exercising, I also tend to sleep deeper, and with fewer interruptions.

The more vigorous the exercise and the longer the duration, increases the sleep benefits for me.

Accessible exercises for late-night sessions for me include things like weight-training, yoga, bodyweight exercises, and dancing (with headphones on, of course). I tend to lean towards activities like weight-training over cardio. With weight-training, I can go slow and take my time with the lightweight dumbbells. This keeps my sleepy workout sessions slow, quiet and safe!

Reading

Before my narcolepsy became severe, I was an avid reader. I still love reading, don’t get me wrong! It’s just so hard to stay awake while I am reading a book these days.

While inconvenient during the daytime, getting sleepy while reading is useful when I am up late and unable to sleep.

So if you, too, get sleepy while reading … This little fact might be helpful for insomnia!

Be warned though – if you are a huge bookworm like me, this can backfire hilariously. With my nighttime insomnia, I’ll sometimes find myself enjoying a book so much that I will stay awake for hours and hours just to keep reading.

I end up getting so hooked on a story that I end up staying awake to finish the book! I am sometimes successful. Other times, I will automatically stay up reading so late that I will wake up with the book still open in my hands – I’d kept reading until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer!

Share with us!

What are some of your favorite tips, tools, or techniques that help you drift away into the land of dreams?