stellarlunar

Narcoleptic, not necrophiliac. Lol

I think it goes 2 different ways. People assume if you have narcolepsy you're instantly/constantly just falling asleep (like they see in movies) But often times when I tell people I have narcolepsy, they assume it's not that bad. Try to explain it away that I need more sleep, vitamins etc.

When you're asleep, specifically in REM state, you are dreaming, your mind is active. So to protect yourself your body is typically paralyzed, so you don't act out your dreams. The way best way it can be explained is by imaging you have switches, one for dreaming, one for sleep paralysis and one for REM. Those switches are only supposed to be flipped "on" when asleep. With narcolepsy those switches can get switched on at anytime. Often times switching on before being asleep, or not switching off upon waking. When you wake up and the paralysis switch never switches off, you wake up unable to move. It can last for a minute, sometimes longer. I've definitely had to just lay there and accept it for up to 20 minutes. If that switch get flipped on during the day (not when you're waking) but during normal activity then it is cataplexy. As for the dream switch. Sometimes it gets flipped on before you actually fall asleep, which is hypnagogic hallucinations, or if it doesn't turn off upon waking it is hypnopompic hallucinations. Often times your dreams continue into waking state.

I have had signs since I was little of sleep issues (insomnia, sleep paralysis, sleep walking, night terrors, daytime sleepiness)
It took about 3 years to get diagnosed. Originally I was diagnosed with adhd and depression. Doctors also considered bipolar and or Borderline, as at that age the narcolepsy greatly affected my mood/behavior. I went to many specialist, endocrinologist, internal med, psychologist, psychiatrist, many therapist, neurologist, and other specialties. Had many many blood panels, EEG, PSG, mslt, many psych screenings. I know for others it can take many more years to get diagnosed. Lots of doctors looked at me, and test results and said I just needed to stop acting out/making things up, take my anti depressants and get moving. Thankfully a neurologist finally said "she has narcolepsy I guarantee it" and ordered an mslt with a psg

Neither. I don't fall asleep randomly Other than sometimes as a passenger on a long road trip, my bed, or sometimes the couch. And there are far more symptoms than simply daytime sleepiness
It can't be controlled with vitamins and "more sleep" since we have excess of rem sleep. Less sleep, more sleep. Normal amount of sleep etc will all lack enough restorative deep sleep stages