Let's Get #BeyondSleepy

Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) often strikes people in the prime of their lives. The rare neurological disorder is often unrecognized by medical professionals and misunderstood by family members, employers, and society in general. The disabling daytime sleepiness of IH persists despite normal nighttime sleep. No FDA-approved treatments exist, although wake-promoting medications are sometimes prescribed. Unfortunately, these medications don’t work well for everyone and most stop working over time or have bothersome side effects. Even when medications do help people with hypersomnia stay awake during the day, they may not help with other symptoms of IH, such as extreme difficulty making the transition from sleep to waking (called sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness) that can negatively impact mental and physical tasks and often manifests as cognitive dysfunction. IH affects many activities that people without IH take for granted, such as going to school, working, and spending time with family and friends. A two-pronged approach is necessary to help combat this disorder; 1) raise awareness of the symptoms of IH and 2) to raise funds designated solely for research into the cause of and treatments for IH. To show your support please add our Let’s Get #beyondsleepy Twibbon to your profile picture on Facebook and Twitter. And share the link to add the Twibbon for others on Facebook and Twitter as well. P.S. Note that when you add the Twibbon to your Facebook profile photo, you will be given the option to resize the image – be sure to size it down! Otherwise the words of the Twibbon won’t show.