Narcolepsy and Memory
A lot of people don’t really believe me when I say I have memory problems, or a lot of the time they’ll get angry at me because of things that happen due to my memory issues.
One of the lesser discussed byproducts of narcolepsy is, in fact, memory loss and issues involving attention, remembering, and memory. Because of EDS ((excessive daytime sleepiness)), people with narcolepsy can reach such pronounced states of drowsiness that we can’t remember much of anything that occurred during that state of sleepiness.
I’ll be quoting some things from this article, which I think does a great job of highlighting some of the things I’ll mention.
“Excessive Sleepiness. All people with narcolepsy experience excessive sleepiness during the day with episodes of falling asleep rapidly and inappropriately, even when fully involved in an activity. It is sometime described as an irresistible daytime need for naps, which will generally refresh the patient. These events may be characterized by the following behaviors
Patients typically have periods of drowsiness every 3 or 4 hours that usually end in short naps.
Patients may sleep during the day for a few minutes, particularly if they are in an awkward position or for a few hours if they are lying down.
Patients often underestimate the duration of their drowsy periods and may not recall clearly their behavior during that time.
Source: Narcolepsy | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/narcolepsy#ixzz3jfso2OCO
University of Maryland Medical Center”
I don’t have the source on-hand, but studies have illustrated that as someone with narcolepsy, my “normal” is how someone without a sleep disorder would feel after two days of sleep deprivation. Think back to the longest you’ve gone without sleep; did you have a hard time focusing, remembering, staying awake, or articulating yourself? That’s me, every day.
Another factor that impairs my memory is “microsleeping”. I experience these episodes regularly, most often at work or during classes.
Microsleep and Automatic Behavior. In some cases, patients have so-called microsleep episodes, in which they behave automatically without conscious awareness. Such automatic behavior may not be recognized as part of a disorder by either patients or the people around them. Some examples include:
People with narcolepsy can be driving or walking competently but end up in a location different from the intended one.
A narcolepsy patient can be carrying on a conversation and jump from one unrelated topic to another or just trail off and stop talking altogether.
The patient may suddenly perform bizarre actions, such as putting socks in the refrigerator.
Patients may have severe forgetfulness.
Their movements may suddenly become slow or clumsy.
In some cases, their behavior may resemble some forms of epileptic seizures.
Source: Narcolepsy | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/narcolepsy#ixzz3jftfls00
University of Maryland Medical Center
Although technically conscious, people with narcolepsy tend to enter these states of automatic behavior where the brain is in “sleep mode”, so to speak. When I took AP Calculus, I would enter a microsleep for the duration of the class, wake up when the bell rang, and find that I’d taken unintelligible notes during the class. I would later try to teach myself the course material because I remembered nothing from class and my notes were akin to word salad. It was miserable, and my grades plummeted because of this.
Furthermore, because I experience obscene amounts of REM sleep compared to non-narcoleptics, my dreams are intensely vivid and it’s easy for me to mistake dreams for reality, given that my EDS blurs the line between sleeping and wakefulness.
It’s all too easy for me to drift between sleeping and waking while both seem equally real, causing a lot of difficulties. I will assume I told someone something important, but it turns out I told them in a dream.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: when I say I have memory impairment problems, I’m not joking. If I tell you something two or three times, please don’t make fun of me. If I assume I told you something but I never did, please just gently let me know and move on. If I forget to do something you asked me to do, please don’t get angry- just remind me. I’m trying my best, I promise.