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.

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Sleep Disorders
/ Narcolepsy Support Group

work place arrangement for an earlier shift?

Kikilea
Kikilea

I work 2-11pm and have for 8 yrs. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy in 2009. I switched doctors recently and one of the first things he said to me was that I needed a different shif and my previous doctor had never said anything about it. So he filled out the work place arrangement paperwork my employer provided. My employer wants the doctor to specify the hours I should work but the doctor said he can't do that. He said all he could state in the paperwork was that night shift isn't recommended for narcoleptics and I need 8 hours of sleep each night. Currently I get home around midnight and go to sleep at 1am and up at 7am to get one of my kids up and off to school then I  am awake with my other toddler and doing chores etc before work. Due to my being awake from 7am until 1am the next day I take some Adderall in the morning then nuvigil when I get to work. Working a 9am-6pm would eliminate the need for so much medication. Has anyone that worked a late shift  successfully gotten their employer to change their shift and did u notice an improvement?

arfie
arfie
I manipulated my shift work without involving the employer in my strictly personals, but. . . No, I don't believe changing my 8+ hour shifts helped much. Those 8+hour marathons are rough, whatever hours they encompass. Later, when I was able to work for myself, I discovered that split shifts are what work best for me.The flexibility to take power naps was the best med I ever found. The side-effects are far more manageable. . .

Here in my retirement years, I think of myself as a 24/7 person. My therapy dog is my sleep role model. Nap-wake, Nap-wake to whatever rhythm life sets for me. All 24 hours of the day have charms worth taking note of.
SmokinJoe
SmokinJoe
Try a sleep calculator. It helps wake u up in between sleep cycles instead of during one. If you wake during cycle you will fill sleepy and groggy all day. If u awake after cycle complete even if you dont get your 8 hours you will feel refreshed. https://whentosleep.com
Kikilea
Kikilea
So now my job offers a work from home option which is a split shift with a 4 hour break in the middle of the shift. And me and my doctor are like wow that would be ideal for my narcolepsy but my job won't let me apply for the work for home position because I'm on an attendance warning (because of my narcolepsy!) grrr
arfie
arfie
I had to set up a self-employment network in order to work from home (it was almost unheard of in the 80's.) and it was an ideal solution for the yaddahs of my personal blahs, but self-motivation within the isolation of working at home was an ongoing problem. I took my "attendance warnings" more seriously than my clients did. If you ever want to see just how stupid a boss can be, try working for yourself. . .

Is there any chance of working with the powers that be to get past the attendance warnings?
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