Replies to 'Struggling with Sleep Issues?'

I hit the wrong button, and it posted without a message!

As I was saying, does England have Sleep Specialists.  There are over 200 sleep disorders that make people extremely tired during the day.  My husband has sleep apnea AND restless leg syndrome.  I have Narcolepsy.  None of these could have been diagnosed or ruled out without a formal sleep study. 

In a sleep study, you stay overnight at the sleep facility.  They hook up monitors for EKG (heart), breathing, leg and arm movement, and some other things.  There is a camera that films in the dark.  This way, they can see how you sleep.  After the night time study, I stayed for a daytime study.  On every "nap", I fell asleep and had REM sleep within 5 minutes.

Look on the web under Narcolepsy...try the Provigil web site.  It is very informative.  There are other symptoms that go along with Narcolepsy.  Check them out.

I was misdiagnosed as a hypochondriac, and then with CFS (I have fibromyalgia, which is related).

I am now on Provigil, and it has changed my life. I am still sleepy sometimes, but I can function so much better.

All three of my boys have sleep disorders too...misdiagnosed with ADHD!  Two of my boys have restless leg syndrome, which was waking them up over 250 times a night!  The oldest one has Narcolepsy like me.  He is also on Provigil, and his grades have gone way up since starting on it.  Adderall made him so shakey, he could hardly play his trumpet.

I would encourage you to seek out a sleep specialist, wherever you can find one...make a trip to the United States if you have to.  Although, I thought Europe was ahead of the United States on using new drugs...our government puts so many regulations on getting them approved for use in the US.

Good Luck...Becky