Share a story. Change a story
- narcolepsynavigators
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Share a story. Change a story.
The way we each express ourselves - the words we choose, the ways we release tension, the paths we explore - carries power.
When we attempt not only to describe but also to better comprehend what we’ve lived through, something shifts. A story told from one perspective can open a window for another, offering recognition, resonance, or even the first clue to an unseen puzzle in their own life. What feels “normal” to one person - just part of their every day - might be the very key that helps someone else uncover a difficulty impacting them in invisible but profound ways. It can also help the individual telling the story to eventually recognize and understand their own struggle. This is so often how sleep disorders play out in people’s lives.
Our sense of “normal” is shaped not only by our inner world but by external forces beyond our control: cultural expectations, social pressures, and the roles we’re expected to play. Untangling that web is complicated, because everyone walks a different path. And just as every concept can be described in many words, each person expresses their truth in their own way - through art, through skill, through passion, through a burst of energy, or through pain, questions, and doubts. Expression takes countless forms, and interpretation is just as varied.
That’s why it’s so important not to filter or reshape people’s stories to fit a script. When stories are forced to conform - whether intentionally or not - they lose something essential. Even small tweaks can diminish their true power. Yet those authentic expressions, when left intact, can be the very keys that help unlock hidden struggles, for the storyteller and for others. In a world so filled with noise - media, technology, and the endless rush of daily life - it’s easy to miss these keys and the puzzles they can help reveal.
We all tend to avoid, deny, or skim over our struggles - especially the confusing, uncomfortable ones. But avoidance doesn’t erase the impact. Often, the very things we overlook are the ones shaping our days and nights most deeply. Sleep is one of those things: central to our physical and psychological well-being, yet rarely at the center of our focus. We don’t prioritize our balance, our tuning, our awareness of our own state of being.
Instead, we live among distractions, hurdles, and challenges - but also among joys and beauties. The puzzle is always there beneath it all: the turmoil hidden within the ordinary, the stigma surrounding sleep itself. Too often, people assume their “normal” is universal, leaving no room for how different and difficult the reality may be for others. That unspoken stigma doesn’t just diminish sleep - it shapes how we view one another, how we judge one another, and how we fail to see even ourselves clearly.
Seeing past that stigma takes more than open-mindedness. It takes respect. It takes a willingness to recognize boundaries - those limits people live within, often unconsciously, just to get by. These limits shape choices about activities, relationships, schedules, even entire ways of being. And so much of this traces back, in ways we don’t always realize, to sleep, to rhythm, to health, to how we treat ourselves and others.
This is why stories matter. Stories are where the human experience comes alive. Within them lie the keys to unlocking puzzles that can torment someone subtly for decades, even a lifetime remaining beneath the sheets. Sleep disorders are especially full of these subtleties - impacts that are fierce yet easily overlooked.
As World Narcolepsy Day approaches, it’s worth naming one of the most damaging forces people with narcolepsy face: the stereotype. For over a century, Hollywood and mainstream culture have reduced narcolepsy to a punchline - the person who suddenly falls asleep mid-scene, played for humor or shock. Add in the confusion between narcolepsy and cataplexy (a sudden, temporary muscle paralysis often triggered by laughter or strong emotions - not sleep at all), and the result is misunderstanding layered upon stigma.
This stereotype is harmful not only because it misrepresents the condition, but because it compounds society’s dismissive attitude toward sleep itself. The reality is that narcolepsy - and sleep more broadly - is not treated with the seriousness it deserves. Many live decades before receiving recognition or diagnosis. Entire lives are shaped by something largely unseen.
That’s why telling our stories is vital. Through expression - whatever the form - we not only help others, but we often help ourselves. Stories can be therapeutic, educational, and transformative.
They expand understanding, break down stigma, and open paths to better health.
So let’s keep telling them.
Let’s keep creating.
Let’s keep pushing gently, though always with awareness, courtesy and respect.
Let’s keep listening.
Night to night, and day to day.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Seek a qualified medical professional with expertise in Narcolepsy for diagnosis or treatment. I am not a medical professional.
Please note that the translations were generated using an automated tool and have not been proofread by a native or fluent speaker. Apologies for any grammatical errors, linguistic or contextual discrepancies. Originally written in English.
Created by: Solomon Briggs
(aka Narcoplexic) [Narcoplexic.com]
September 12th, 2025
Share a story. Change a story. © 2025 by Solomon Briggs is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
“You may use this tool for non-commercial purposes, but must credit Solomon Briggs.”
Comments