Status Updates From The Woman Who Couldn't Wake...

Lots in this section about elucidating mechanisms and possible causes for narcolepsy. Now we're getting into the history of medications like modafinil. It's definitely an interesting historical time to get an IH diagnosis.

This chapter resonates so much that I fell asleep while reading it. /genuine, non-disparaging


"The hypothalamus appears to be the site where many forces—temperature, sensory stimulation, attention, extended time awake, or recent food consumption—engage in a tug of war over sleepiness"

Me and my hypothalamus having a party over here

"most reported a delay of three or more years between symptom onset and diagnosis" ✅

"at least three doctors were seen before a correct diagnosis." ✅

"Common misdiagnoses were sleep apnea, depression ✅, blood pressure dysregulation, iron deficiency, and more subjective judgments: 'burnout,' ✅ 'psychosomatic,' ✅ and 'puberty related.'"

"a striking years-long delay ... in diagnosis among women compared with men"

I'm enjoying reading about all of the different research studies that have been done trying to figure out causes of IH (or mechanisms of sleepiness in general). It's interesting biology and science history

It's a book about me! 🥰

Relatable:
"Her doctors diagnosed her with something called idiopathic hypersomnia. Anna interpreted this mouthful as 'she sleeps a lot and we don’t know why.' "
"she told herself that she was working hard and her body needed extra rest. ... sleep was encroaching upon her life."
MSLT as "the gateway through which they had to travel to receive their diagnosis"

Am learning a lot, too.

The way I just learned about this in class