Social relationships

How common are social relationship struggles for children with narcolepsy/idiopathic hypersomnia?

Very common

Did you know?

Compared with children without narcolepsy/idiopathic hypersomnia, children with one of these sleep disorders missed more days of school, participated in fewer after school activities, and had worse quality-of-life?

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Recently, we completed a research study involving 254 young adults with narcolepsy disorder. A whopping 98% said that having narcolepsy made their social lives more difficult, and almost 50% felt that they did not have enough friends.

I limit the amount of social gatherings that I attend per week. I typically can only attend one social gathering per weekend. I leave when I’m sleepy. I’m very aware of what worsens my symptoms and essentially avoid them or limit them through careful planning.

– (Young adult with narcolepsy type I)

If you are an older teen, you may be considering dating. Our research showed that 88% of young adults with narcolepsy believed that their sleep disorder caused problems in their romantic relationships.

Why it is childhood such an important time for these children?

Almost half of all patients with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia report that their symptoms began before they turned 25 years old. Before patterns of behavior and thinking are repeated and solidified, changing how you think about your social relationships while your thinking is still flexible is important.