Natural help for Narcolepsy?

[FashionBomb]

I am waiting to do a sleep study next month to find out if I have narcolepsy or some other problem.
The reason I am finally getting tested is I  just tired and run down every single day which makes life very hard since I have 2 boys with slight disabilities and jam packed with energy. I quit work mainly to be with my boys but also because I have a hard time getting up and could not function well at work.
Before seeing a sleep specialist, I thought I was only waking up a couple times at night. Now that I am doing a sleep diary, I am waking up like 10 times! Average sleep is 49 minutes at a time!  No wonder why I am so tired. I don't actually get up out of bed, I don't really hallucinate but then again after LASIK eye surgery, I don't even really open my eyes at night. I just roll over and go back to sleep. I have experienced seeing things that were not really there though. I have tried different sleeping arrangements like sleeping on the couch or my husband taking the couch. The results are the same.
The doctor talked about putting me on Ritalin if it is narcolepsy which scares me. We try to eat most organic which is hard in a small town. We avoid chemicals as best as possible. I have worked hard the past year to get off meds. Is there any other options? My 8 year old is on Ritalin and I have him down to 5 mg hoping to get rid it soon for him!
Any suggestions or help....

[Jessica502]

Hi,

I am using a natural treatment to help people with sleeping problems. From my past experiences I think really deep relaxation may help you.
yes I help people to deeply relax their body and mind at night before they sleep. If you want to know more,  you are welcome to leave me a message.

by the way healthy food is effective in restoring health, but has no so much power to make one fully recovered.

[FashionBomb]

Thank you for responding.  I had to go see the same neurologist that ordered my sleep study for chronic migraines.  I have dealt with migraines for years now, but all of a sudden, none of the prescribed meds are helping me.
Anyhow,  I did not realize just how many times I actually wake up at night until I found this app on my iPhone where I just click a button when I wake up and when I go back to sleep.  I do not have any breathing problems but I did find that one night I only woke up once but I took my anxiety med just before bed.  I am off that med right now until the sleep study, but I have researched some vitamins and Koylic 101 stress and relax is one I will be trying so I can stay off the meds.  I have done herbal sleep vitamins and remedies, but they only help me to fall asleep faster which is not a problem, they don't help me to sleep all night.
Have you ever tried essential oils?  I put lavender on my pillow at night to help.
I am going to start doing detox and relaxation salt baths like once a week to see if that helps too.
www.goDesana.com/AngieJob

Thank you for your input!

[SleepFighter1]

Wished I had checked back on this post back a while ago.. three years since I've posted on my struggles with sleep issues.  Anyway, I hope some of my ramblings helped you some.  I've not tried essential oils yet, but here are a few other tips that have helped me immensely:  1. keep the room cold w/ a quite AC that goes down to 60 - much more oxygen - just put another blanket on.   2. use an oscillating fan on low - great background noise to keep the sleep cycle going steady  3. try not to drink too much before bed - my best sleep was always minus a visit  4. tempurpedic pillow or maybe 'MyPillow.com'.   One of my best overall improvements to my health in general came from my visit to an alternative medicine doctor: Dr. Glen Rothfeld at:  http://www.rothfeldcenter.com/  All of these things combined have paid off tremendously for me, and I hope they help you as well.  Best to Your Health!

[SleepFighter1]

That is a great move having the sleep study.  They will tape a bunch of electrodes all over your brain and heart etc., but you can just ignore them as they are very light weight.  They will be able to diagnose quite a bit from the study.  I happen to have sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and have dealt with bouts of seizures.. which Thank God, I was able to alleviate (the seizures) through just diet change.  My alternative medicine work up indicated that I had some intolerance to both yeast and dairy.  I had to have the sleep study 3 times before the diagnosis for apnea (Central) came through.. and I'm glad it did as it is a life saver for me.  When I first started using the CPAP, I started to dream for the first time in a long while.. significant improvement.  I also take provigil which has helped quite a bit for daytime sleepiness.  I've also tried some night time natural sleep aides like: Dream Water and Averil and IChill.  Dream water worked well for me, but is way too expensive.. pushing $100.00/month for an 'over the counter' remedy.  Averil is cheaper, but contains a higher concentration of melatonin, and triptophan, and I notice that I am groggier afterwards.. and had a tough 'withdrawal' of a sort when I stopped it suddenly.  iChill only has melatonin, a couple of herbs, vita C, and the B vitamins.  These are all mild sleep inducers I have found.  Here are a few tips I've found with my conditions (may not apply to you though):  definitely get a vaporizor attachment with the CPAP, they work really well and are self regulating to whatever level of humidity you set them at. Use distilled, and change the water twice a month maybe.  I like the barely intrusive sinus pillow design the best.  You can get a low profile chin strap so your mouth doesn't pop open while wearing CPAP.. just cut a 7 inch slit in the strap on the top so it can spread on the top of your head and doesn't slip off at night.  I have to take naps with Narcolepsy, and I've found that it's best to take them in a very bright room (all the lights on) so that you don't muck with your circadian rhythm, and just wear an eye mask.. blocks out most of the light granted, but I find that the little that sneaks in from the sides tells your brain that it's still daytime.  I've found you can get really messed up / groggy and depressed if you sleep in a dark room with the door closed etc. in the middle of the day.  If you like coffee, drink up !.. it's the healthiest almost 'non drug' (my opinion) you can use.  If you have daytime sleepiness, and haven't tried coffee.. give it a shot.  I had to quite myself unfortunately when I was around 33 or so due to heart palpitations.. but most people don't suffer that.  Even if you get the 'Narcolepsy' diagnosis, be reassured that they are making a ton of progress in this field.. they may soon have a supplement for the neurotransmitter that's missing (hypocretin).  N. is an immune system disorder from what I've read.  

Some or all of this stuff combined with exercise and a good diet should bring you around quite a bit.. if not entirely.