the benefits of short scheduled naps

When I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy at age 9, my sleep doctor handed me (and my mother) a prescription for Cylert and instructions to take two 15 to 25 minute naps, one at 12 pm and one at 3 pm.

The naps were not to be longer than 25 minutes.  More than this would put me into a different stage of sleep and I would wake up feeling sleepy as opposed to refreshed. 

It sounds strange, but the two hour naps I had been taking were actually counterproductive, I was told.  For Narcoleptics, 25 minutes will actually leave you feeling better than two hours, my doctor said. 

When my doctor told me I had Narcolepsy and there was no cure or magic pill, I broke down in tears.

“But you said you would cure me and make me better!” I insisted.

  (As far as I remember, some doctor early on had reassured me that they would cure me and everything would be fine, probably back when they thought I had mono.  Through all the tests and the doctors, I had clung to this statement to the end, even though I know now that my parents knew early on that my doctors suspected Narcolepsy.) 

I would have to take naps FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!

Every nine year old knows that only babies take naps, right?  I was very upset.

But I got over it, and I got used to it.

I took my doctor’s advice and have been taking it ever since. 

I didn’t realize it back then, but I can see now that I was very lucky. 

First, I was diagnosed very young, which meant that I grew up having already made some difficult changes to cope with Narcolepsy, the most important one being these naps. 

Second, I was fortunate to be diagnosed and treated by a renown sleep center and an excellent doctor.  I happened to live two hours from Stanford University, where some of the most important research on Narcolepsy has been done, and they have an excellent sleep center. 

And finally, I was lucky to have a doctor who knew his stuff and gave me this advice on taking naps.  (Years later when I changed doctors I would understand just how lucky I was: not all sleep doctors are created equal.  They also don’t all give the same recommendations or advice.)

In 17 years, this nap advice is the best advice I’ve ever gotten as far as Narcolepsy is concerned.

For me, this advice was invaluable and just as important as my medication.  I’ve tried a number of medications, but none of them managed to keep me awake except in combination with my naps.

I need both naps and medication.

I’d like to claim that I am just the perfect patient who always follows the doctor’s advice, but the truth is that when it came to the nap recommendation, I never felt that I had a choice as to whether I would follow it. 

While it was difficult to adjust to taking short naps in the beginning, it was this advice that allowed me live a relatively normal life. 

Now, I fit in my naps every day- no matter what- because without them I can’t be myself. 

If I have to sleep on the grass, on a bench, on the bus, in the nurse’s office at school, then so be it.  I’m taking my naps.

It was only many years after I was diagnosed that I realized that all Narcoleptics haven’t been given the same advice as I had been, or if they were given it, most haven’t adopted it.  (At least, I have never heard another Narcoleptic mention taking scheduled naps like this.  I am sure that there must be some people that do it, but I personally don’t know of any.)

I only realized that I was a bit unusual in this way when I started talking to other Narcoleptics on Talk About Sleep (about five years ago).

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming that every Narcoleptic needs to take naps or should take naps.

If there is one thing I can say about Narcolepsy, it’s that what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone.  There is no magic pill or advice that works for everyone.

This is just what works for me, and I share it with you so can understand where I’m coming from. 

Perhaps there are also some Narcoleptics who haven’t tried this or heard this advice who might benefit from it. 

I’m not suggesting that everyone should ‘nap like me.’  I don’t like taking naps, and if it didn’t work so well for me I certainly wouldn’t do it.

Taking naps, especially scheduled naps, is difficult, in fact if you’re used to taking two hour naps like I was, it’s a very difficult change.  (I think in the beginning I could only get up if an actual human being forced me to.  Now I can use an alarm clock.) 

Unfortunately, the schedule part is the most important part for me, and it’s the part that is hardest to fit into my day.  I suspect most Narcoleptics take naps, they just might not take them at the same time every day. 

I happen to get very sleepy (like clockwork) around 12 pm and 3 pm, and if I don’t take my naps around those times, bad things happen.

If I miss one nap, I’ll be very sleepy and not myself.  If I miss both naps, and this only happens if I’m with people who somehow prevent me from taking them, I slowly fall apart.

I’ll struggle to stay awake.  I’ll jump at small noises.  I’ll fall asleep for a second while standing up. 

I’ll start to feel shaky and have to be careful not to fall down the stairs.  I’ll slur my words and I’ll get overly emotional. 

In fact, if after all of this I feel that for some reason I still can’t take a nap (and for some reason I haven’t at this point insisted on it), I will have to fight to hold back tears, despite myself.

That’s right, if I can’t take my two naps, I will get so tired that I might just start to cry. 

I need to sleep that badly.

Naps are most important part of my schedule, and although I can be a bit flexible as to the exact time, I have to fit them in every day if I want to function.  To me, taking naps is like brushing my teeth: you don’t skip it. 

What do you think about naps?  Do you take them?  If so, do you schedule them and how long do you sleep for? 

What works for you?