Living with Idiopathic Hypersomnia can be challenging but with a positive mindset and a few lifestyle changes I have reached the point where by sleepiness barely affects me. I haven’t posted in what feels like years but I have been setting up by own business. Originally I was running my small business alongside a full time managerial job in hospitality as you can imagine working all day and then late into the night wasn’t ideal. So I took the plunge, left my job to pursue my dream of running my own business, Please check out my site, there lots of lovely handmade gifts. www.immiejonesgifts.co ..read more

Managing brain fog isn’t easy but here are a few ways in which I try to deal with it. 1. NOTEBOOKS I don’t go anywhere without pen and paper! During moments of brain fog, I can’t trust or rely on my brain to remember. Writing things down is a must, I fail to remember key events or important information otherwise. A notes page on your phone is also handy but physically writing with a pen, helps stimulate my brain and eases the fog a little. 2. TAKE A NAP Brain fog can be a sign that you’re overdoing it, you’re exhausted and your brain is struggling to keep up,(Unfortunately for those of us ..read more

Waking up to an array of different symptoms each morning is pretty standard for those living with a chronic illness. My least favourite symptom is ‘Brain Fog’. What is Brain Fog? It is a blanket term that describes problems with memory, problem solving, focus and other cognitive functions. Also referred to as mental fatigue. My Experience For me, I feel super clouded and stuck in a haze of memory loss combined with the inability to think clearly. Over the course of three years I’ve gone from experiencing brain fog once a month, to once a week, and now it’s an everyday ordeal. I often find ..read more

Last week, my boyfriend asked me if I could drive us to London for a friend’s birthday. I was quick to say yes, knowing his car was in for repairs. I was more than happy to help out. Of course I can drive us…no worries…  And then my mind spiralled into a familiar panic. I have never driven to London before, I have no idea where I am going. Where am I going to park? Will I be driving around for hours trying to find a parking space?  I struggle with driving anxiety. It’s something I try to hide from people, because I feel silly and ashamed. Read on to find out how I manage my driving a ..read more

My sleep has always been a priority but pre-meds it consumed my life. I could sleep for 16 hours a day and still find time to fit in multiple naps. I rarely attended 6th form, barely made it through my exams and feared I would never be able to hold down a job due to my excessive levels of sleepiness. I lost a lot of friends, partly due to me not being able to explain my condition and cancelling plans too often. I was so exhausted that I didn’t care that I was missing out on being a teenager. My condition was unmanageable until I was put on modafinil (Provigil).  A drug that the movie Limi ..read more

Hypersomnia is a condition in which a person can sleep for 12 to 15 hours and still wake up feeling tired. everyone is so quick to blame their lack of energy on a busy work and social life. In some situations that is the case, but for others it isn’t as easy. Imagine feeling those same levels of exhaustion BEFORE your day has even started, before you’ve even got dressed. Is it normal to be feeling this sleepy upon waking every morning? Nope, which is why I wanted to shed more light on Idiopathic Hypersomnia, to help those that are beginning to question their levels of exhaustion. Read on ..read more

I would love to explain my condition and how I cope with it in a way that makes sense to the everyday person, but unfortunately my condition denies me that. Not only me, but denies neurologists an explanation as well. It is really hard to get your head round having a condition that is so ‘unknown’ in the medical world, let alone the world outside of that. I eagerly await on new research to have a better understanding of my illness, to have better medication, to have better consistent coping mechanisms and to have answers…maybe even a cure? In all honesty I really struggle with the uncertainty ..read more

“Sleep is an investment in the energy you need to be effective tomorrow.” TOM ROTH My latest post covered the importance of sleep hygiene and the importance of it in my life, as someone living with a chronic sleep condition. I thought that I would share how I achieve good sleep hygiene. You might find that you have already incorporated basic sleep hygiene into your everyday. But I have learnt that there is always more you can be doing to improve your quality of sleep. Here are a few ways that you can achieve good sleep hygiene…. 1. SET A CONSISTENT SLEEP SCHEDULE It’s very easy especially ..read more

It’s not easy being sleepy, but it is easier to go to sleep on time.   From day one we have needed sleep to function. As a child we relied heavily on our parents to get us to sleep through the night, to tell us when to go to bed and to put us to bed. We needed them to put us down for a nap, so that we could enjoy the rest of the day, be in a good mood and not be that irritable child at family gatherings. How many times did your parents say to you ‘but first you have to have a nap’ before doing something exciting?  As we grow up and as we become more responsible for ourselves we see ..read more

This is a phrase that has been heard way too many times by those suffering with an invisible illness. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I can’t stress how important it is to recognise that we do not have to look ill to be ill! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ My illness is invisible to those who do not look closely enough and rely on a hospital gown, IV drip and other visual cues to recognise illness.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ But if you were to take a minute and look closer, you’d notice how much pain I am in. How the front I put on is fraying round the edges. You’d notice that at midday I go off to take my second dose of medication. You’d see my struggle to reme ..read more