Misunderstood by the general population,  less researched by medical professionals, scrutinized by health insurance companies, IH sufferers combat an invisible illness in a world that demands physical symptoms to prove a disease's validity.

IH is a neurological disorder. IH is not narcolepsy. IH is a truly crippling condition that affects every aspect of a person's life simply by altering their sleep patterns. We face the same platitudes as other groups of people with conditions that the ignorant can't or won't understand. Get over it. It's all in your head. Just change your attitude. Everyone gets tired. You're lazy. Stop complaining. It's your fault for stayng up late.

Is that so? Have you examined and understood the results of my PSG? Have you slept through multiple alarms and made several attempts to get out of bed only to be defeated by severe sleep inertia? Do you hallucinate when going to sleep or upon awakening? Has your sleepiness affected your social life, your performance at work, and your general well being?

Idiopathic hypersomnia is an invisible illness, but I'd rather it be a naked illness. Maybe that way we'd get some attention.