Narcolepsy Support Group
A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a disorder in the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders can interfere with mental and emotional function. If you are having trouble falling asleep or having some other kind of sleep disturbance, this group is for you.
How does eating affect your Narcolepsy???
I have very typical features of Narcolepsy. I have a 9-5 where I work in an office for a social service agency. EDS is very common for me throughout my work days, so I try to find times to take a nap or two (eg lunch time). But besides that, i notice that after i eat, I tend to have less energy, be more sluggish and also need a nap soon after. I was wondering if others noticed the same effects??? How does your eating affect your sleeping patterns???
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i just sat and ate 2 paninnis and was wanting to sleep whilst eating them. i was told by the specialist to cut out some carbs as they will make me feel sluggish etc, and to only eat small meals....i wish am to greedy. vonny x x
i agree with vonny, try to cut out carbs during the day and only have carbs with your evening meal when you want to sleep shortly after.
try taking a protein-rich lunch to work, like chicken and salad, i used to do this and it did help. you could start the day with a protein shake for breakfast, tbh i haven't tried this yet as i haven't worked for a year, but i definitely believe in avoiding carbs through the daytime.
Dallin am interested in the protien drink you mentioned...is it fattening x
Some foods definitely affect my narcolepsy. Interestingly a bowl of Rice Krispies (no sugar) and half a banana can make it almost impossible for me to stay awake. I know there have been other things, but what they are escapes me right now.
I have been told that protein helps with our symptoms, and interestingly enough, years ago I had gastric bypass surgery. We were told that every single meal had to begin with a protein and then we can eat some complex carbs (veggies, mainly). Refined sugars, plain old carbs are known to make us all feel a little sluggish and I imagine that is magnified a lot for those of us already prone to being sleepy. For the most part, if I'm going to have any carbs, I have just a small amount, but make sure I have my protein and complex carb first. Except with my Rice Krispies.
Sugary carbohydrates are not good during the day as sugars convert to serotonin really quickly, which makes you sleepy. I know I just cannot take anything with sugar/sugary carbohydrates during the day. I find the provigil supresses my appetite something terrible anyway and I dont even have much of a thirst sensation at all. As an added extra, sugary foods at bed time are great for getting over to sleep - one square of chocolate and I am away :-) It also helps if I am having a run of parasomnia activity during the night - it can break that cycle. Hope this helps
Neal
vonny i haven't tried the protein shakes myself, just read about them, and the theory fits in with my experience of a high protein diet when i did atkins.
i do know that when i took lunch of chicken and salad (no carbs) to work it did help me to stay more awake.
as i haven't been workign the last year and have been housebound much of the time so don't go shopping, i haven't been able to keep up with any kind of routine or diet regime
Yep - Eating = Sleepy.
The best protein shakes I have had are called 'Muscle Milk'. You can either order big canisters online or get them at most vitamin type stores likes GNC. Muscle Milk can be mixed with water or milk, either way it tastes JUST like a yummy milkshake -no matter what flavor you get. And they have a ton of flavors. They're really good for you, I had 2 servings a day when I worked out all of the time. If you mix 1 serving with milk, you get a few more grams of protein than your body can really process in a 1 hour period, so to save money on milk I just mix them with water and they are just as good. I used to keep to a strict Ayurvedic diet & nothing ever helped my sleep/awake cycles, or helped the amount of energy I had. I tried many different diet regimens actually and nothing ever helped lol.
I always hear that the digestive process can make anyone feel sleepy, especially if meat is consumed or especially if you take a digestive enzyme beforehand. Don't have much more info on that, just what I've heard really.
I hope you can find something that works for you! :)
hey.....
hello qdiddy,the answer is=YES!
UNFORTUNATELY Narcoleptics can't enjoy or over endulge on our favorite foods, i know this first hand.I sometimes fear that time of eating because i know that after eating my day is pretty much over with so i plan very carefully to eat at end of my workday and always have an excuse for lunch or dinner get together.feel well qdiddy
I have been wanting to post this same topic...so glad you did! I have the same issue with eating. If I eat anything heavy, lots of carbs, or really sweet, I tend to become very sluggish and my brain follows right along...
At work if I have a lunch with these types of food, I will be BAD in the N department. I will return to my desk and for the next two hours I will function on auto-pilot while my food digests. My eyes are barely open, my brain is mush, and basically I am sitting up while dreaming the entire time and when I "awaken", I can not remember most of that time.
I now almost never eat at work and if I do it is something very light and a very small amount. I do not sit and eat at work either, I will stand at a counter and flip through a magazine instead. Sometimes I go walk out around the building too while eating just to keep awake. The lunch hour and shortly after that have always been a bad N time for me also and adding food is not good.
I work in a Bariatric Surgery office so I do eat alot of protein based things but for me, I think it is the amount of anything I eat is the key. Alot of any food makes me sluggish where small amounts throughout the day work better. When I am at home is when I can eat how I want because I know my bed is near.....
**side note....
Protein is good to add to anyones normal eating habits...we have and sell tons of really wonderful tasting protein supplements. It is a great way to eat and feel fuller longer without a big meal. I love the products we sell. We have bars, snacks, microwave meals, drinks, shakes, soups, etc. They all are LOW calorie, HIGH protein food items...all the bars (like granola or candy types) have 15 grams each with 200 calories. I eat one for breakfast everyday now!
I went on "Adkins" after the birth of my youngest daughter and remained on "Adkins Maintanance" ever since because I found that I not only lost weight but just plain felt better on Adkins-another thing I found that accidentally helped me function so many years with N. I have the Adkins shakes or tuna salad for lunch most days. I have found skipping lunch is a mistake. My sleep doc advises against eating apples, turkey, peanut butter, sweets, fried foods and against drinking sweetened soda pop or alcoholic beverages. Also against large meals after 6 pm. I rarely eat bread, potatoes or pasta. I think that green tea gives me a longer lasting lift then coffee or even regular tea, I get it in packets now-Green Tea Energy Fusion. I carry them with me everywhere and can mix them with water anywhere. The box says 100% natural organic. It has 100 mg of EGCG-to boost metabolism and 50 mg of caffeine and some other nutrients. And so far so good..