Sleep Blog
Sleep in to speak out! Join Project Sleep’s SLEEP IN 2016 today.
On March 11-13, Project Sleep is taking to our beds for SLEEP IN 2016 to make PEACE with SLEEP during National Sleep Awareness Week! Challenge yourself to stay in bed for 12-48 hours over the weekend and join an international movement to raise awareness about sleep health and sleep disorders. Register today (it’s free): www.crowdrise.com/sleepin2016 With…
Read MoreNap Shame. I’ve got it. Do you?
In this short audio clip, I explore my feelings of shame and embarrassment around taking a nap at work. (Also available here) Do you have nap shame or are you an empowered napper? I want to hear your thoughts!
Read MoreCelebrating 3 years of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy – An Honest Reflection
Writing for me is time-traveling. On January 16, 2012, I sipped a steaming hot soy latte at my favorite coffee shop in Arlington, Virginia, cued up the classical piano in my headphones and closed my eyes. Here we go! On this day, my time-traveling destination was a hotel room in Albany, New York – four years earlier. The subject…
Read MoreWATCH NOW: MedX 2015 Ignite! Talk by Narcolepsy Advocate, Julie Flygare
I’m thrilled to share my 5-minute Ignite! Talk from Stanford Medicine X 2015. Please share with friends and family to raise narcolepsy awareness (https://youtu.be/MXTd8xd_f8s). In this video, I describe my journey with narcolepsy from people laughing in my face to living proudly and creating the NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE campaign. I emphasize how feeling “misunderstood and alone” with…
Read MoreWhat I Said: Julie Flygare’s MedX Ignite Talk Transcript
REM Runner’s Note: On Sept. 24, 2015, I had the huge honor of stepping on the MedX main stage at Stanford Medical School to give an ePatient Ignite Talk. This is (more-or-less) what I said: ************ Diagnosed with narcolepsy at age 24, I was excited to tell my friends and family. Finally! I had legitimate medical terms…
Read MoreWarning: Xposure to MedX May Xpand Your Mind – Attending Stanford’s Medicine X 2015
Goosebumps raised on my arms as we shuffled into the fake hospital exam room at Stanford Medical School. I hate hospital exam rooms, even fake ones apparently! About twenty of us lined the walls to watch two simulation exercises. Patient wears doctor’s white coat: In the first simulation, a real-life patient played a “doctor”, wearing a…
Read MoreThe Simpsons Modifies Homer Narcolepsy Episode “Somewhat” After Reading Narcolepsy Article
When the Simpsons premieres tonight at 8pm ET/PT, Homer will get “narcolepsy”. I’m thrilled to report that Executive Producer, Al Jean tweeted me: “The episode was modified somewhat after I read the extremely compelling article you wrote. Not sure you will be 100% happy…” Thank you, Al Jean and the Simpsons for thoughtfully reading and modifying…
Read More8 Years Since Narcolepsy Diagnosis: No Longer “Suffering the Silence”
Living in Silence: Eight years ago today, on Sept. 18, 2007, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy, a serious chronic neurological disorder of the sleep/wake cycle. I told friends and family right away. Finally, I had scientific words to describe my mysterious symptoms. But I hated people’s reactions. Some acted as if I’d said…
Read MoreNarcolepsy Presentations at UCLA Med School 2015 – “A learning experience for both medical students and seasoned physicians.”
On Sept. 1 – 3, I had the extraordinary opportunity to speak at UCLA Medical school three nights in a row, sharing my inspiring narcolepsy journey with 120 first-year medical students and a dozen faculty members. The first-year students were just days into their medical education – energetic and eager to learn! I spoke as part of the students’ required…
Read MoreMy First Standing Ovation – Speaking at the Hypersomnia Conference 2015
Recently, I traveled to Atlanta to speak at the Hypersomnia Conference 2015. The conference featured a great variety of support groups and fantastic presentations by medical leaders, educational experts, patient advocates and a disabilities attorney. Uniquely, the conference also included hypersomnia, narcolepsy and KLS speakers and attendees, so we could share and learn from each…
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