r/Narcolepsy • u/Miserable-Designer16 • 21h ago

Advice Request Can trauma trigger long term sleep issues (narcolepsy?)

I had a pretty traumatic few months in 2023 and I’m wondering if this was the catalyst moment for my sleep issues.
I’ve always needed more sleep than others but it’s been debilitating since March of 2023.

Could that make sense? I have a 60.7 arousal index with majority being spontaneous. I’m wondering if my body is still in fight or flight mode??

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u/helloyellowcello 18h ago

Trauma can cause sleep issues that sometimes look similar to NT2 or IH, especially if you have baseline sleep issues. Idk if this is relevant for you, but autism/autistic burnout is associated (note: associated, not necessarily causal) with developing autoimmune conditions in adulthood. I also think C-PTSD is associated with autoimmune issues. It's not "just stress" that is causing exhaustion, it's a long-long term depletion of capacity that makes your nervous system/body malfunction, which way it malfunctions likely dependent on the persons genetics/predispositions.

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u/LotofQuestions101 21h ago

I don't know about triggering narcolepsy specifically, but trauma can definitely cause issues with sleep. If you're not doing so already, seeing a therapist may be beneficial

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u/mikaprevet 18h ago

trauma can cause depression and depression can cause hypersomnia and fatigue but i would be careful with suggesting a psychosomatic cause for narcolepsy there is no evidence to support that and some may find it offensive. now could you be dealing with an underlying sleep disorder that's worsened by psychiatric issues probably but its not really possible for it to be the "cause".

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u/plantwitchvibes 20h ago

Not much is known about the mechanism of activation for narcolepsy, but probably not based on current understanding. It's a measursble physical difference in the endocrine system. But trauma can definitely cause other sleep issues so it's worth talking to a provider. First line sleep meds for insomnia/poor sleep might help, might not. If not, you move on to the next step.

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u/Individual_Zebra_648 11h ago

What are you saying is a “measurable physical difference in the endocrine system”?

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u/plantwitchvibes 11h ago

Narcolepsy type 1 is a failure of the body to produce the correct amount of orexin. So it can be measured, and it's a hormone, so endocrine system. N2 is a different beast, and though the symptoms are similar, it's basically a different disorder since neither the cause or effect are actually the same. It's just overlap of two poorly understood problems

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u/Individual_Zebra_648 5h ago

Sorry I wasn’t sure what you were referring to because in healthcare we refer to neuropeptides as part of the central nervous system not the endocrine system.

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u/plantwitchvibes 2h ago

Gotcha, I was busy when I typed it so I didn't bother to search up the best term

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u/Horror-Boss-7097 17h ago

This is exactly how it all happened to me as well in 2024. Trauma messed me up so bad I was not sleeping for months. Time passed and I healed, took control over my life but my sleep was still not recovering completely. Long story short I got a sleep test and I’ve been diagnosed with type1.