1. Living better with Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy UK Conference-October 2014-Birmingham
Amy McClelland-Coaching Psychologist specialising in sleep

2. Summary Sleep hygiene Exercise Scheduled napping Diet
Anxiety and Depression. How can we help ourselves?
A brief introduction to Mindfulness
Managing stress and arousal through relaxation and breathing

3. How can I improve my sleep?
SLEEP HYGIENE.
-Routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each night.
-Avoid naps that are longer than 25 minutes.
-Wind down properly.
-Avoid alcohol and stimulants (Caffeine)-6 hrs.
-Cool, dark, quiet room (no tv).
-Exercise.
-Avoid exercise within 4 hours of going to bed.
-Use bedroom for sleep and intimacy only. .
NHS Guidelines

4. Example of bad sleep hygiene

5. Nap properly

6. Schedule naps each day Take time out to sleep.
Napping can stop you from getting over-tired (linked to onset of cataplexy episodes)
Napping can help boost alertness.
Try your best to keep naps shorter (25 minutes max).
This should help to alleviate sleepiness.
Aim to have your naps at the same time each day. It is a good idea to schedule them for the times of the day when you generally feel the most sleepy (e.g after lunch for example).
Takahashi (2003)
Amy

7. Don’t be embarrassed to nap

8. What else can I try?
Exercise, exercise, exercise. Take several short walks a day if possible (1)

9. What else can I try? Paying more attention to diet.
Eat balanced, healthy meals.
Eat plenty of fresh food.
Avoid eating large, heavy meals that can contribute to sleepiness. (1)
Not only does following a good diet help us to generally feel better in ourselves, it can also helps us to sleep better and maintain energy levels.

10. Learning to relax is important for people living with Narcolepsy.
Why? Because uncontrollable sleep episodes can be bought on by strong emotional states such as fear, anger and stress (1)

11. Breathing Meditation
Breathing properly can help us to relax and helps us to manage stress (Grossman et al, 2004)
Meditation can help to manage stress which is linked with narcoleptic and cataplectic episodes.
The more relaxed we are the more likely we are to fall asleep when we are sleepy at bed time.

12. Breathing exercise
The (or Relaxing Breath) Exercise Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of five
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of seven
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

13. Anxiety and Depression
Living with Narcolepsy can be hard. If you are suffering from anxiety or depression, always seek support from your GP.
Support groups (
Follow suggested life-style changes.
Learn more about Mindfulness, which can help alleviate anxiety and depression (Crane, 2009).

14. How can we let go?- ‘Mindfulness’
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, to the present moment and non-judgmentally”(Jon Kabat Zinn).
Moving from ‘doing mode’ into ‘being’ mode.

15. How can we learn to let go?- ‘Mindfulness’
Becoming more comfortable with uncertainty.
Self-compassionate living.

16. References 1)
Crane, R. (2009) Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. New York: Routledge.
Grossman et al(2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Vol 57, Issue 1.
Takahashi, M (2003). The role of prescribed napping in sleep medicine. Sleep Medicine Review. Vol 7 (p )