Founded in 2008, Wake Up Narcolepsy, Inc. (WUN) is a nonprofit, patient advocacy organization dedicated to driving narcolepsy awareness, education, and research towards improved treatments and a cure. Executive Director, Claire Crisp, explains, “Narcolepsy remains an under-recognized, under-reported, and
Central nervous system disorders of hypersomnolence typically start in early adolescence yet diagnostic delays and misdiagnosis are common, resulting in years of untreated symptoms, exposure to potentially harmful and unnecessary treatments, and an increase in co-morbid depression. Investigators at
Narcolepsy is a life-long sleep disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles. With a prevalence of approximately 1 in 2000 individuals, a speedy diagnosis is typically rare. Oftentimes, individuals with narcolepsy also have other co-occurring medical conditions
Looking to learn even more? For each issue, we highlight books about sleep. Waking Mathilda: A Memoir of Childhood Narcolepsy by Claire Crisp A native of England, Claire Crisp had it all—a strong marriage, three healthy children, and her own home
Dr. Luis Ortiz always knew he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up – it was only a matter of getting into school and picking a field. He thought maybe surgery – picturing his future self working long
Your Latest Buzzword is Orexin, also known as hypocretin. In 1998 two separate teams, utilizing different approaches and for entirely different reasons, reported the discovery of a new gene. One team named the gene orexin and the other named it hypocretin.
Excessive and persistent sleepiness is a hallmark of a group of sleep disorders known as central disorders of hypersomnolence, which include narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that interferes with the ability to control the sleep/wake
Looking to learn even more? For each issue, we highlight books about sleep. Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy by Julie Flygare Winner of the San Francisco Book Festival Award for Biography/ Autobiography, Wide Awake and Dreaming is a revealing
You walk into your doctor’s office and walk out with a diagnosis of narcolepsy. What does that mean? Where do you go next? What does treatment look like for you? Dr. Michael Thorpy, MD is director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center,
Most of us have had an occasional morning when we wake up thinking, “Just five more minutes. Please just let me sleep five more minutes.” We likely nonetheless drag ourselves out of bed and face the day in a groggy
PATIENT ORGANIZATION HIGHLIGHT DAY4NAPS is a digital database for narcolepsy awareness events occurring on a global scale. Mark Patterson, MD, PhD, President of the organization, adds, “We also provide links to international narcolepsy and sleep organizations, serving to act as
