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Sleep is something we all need in our daily lives to function. But is there such a thing as too much sleep? For Mariah Koch, the answer is yes. Koch, a student at Grand View, has been diagnosed with the condition narcolepsy.

 According to The National Institute of Health, “Narcolepsy is a chronic, neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles.” 

The longest that Koch has slept consecutively was 23 hours. Koch is physically fine but is just always tired, and her condition affects her in ways that are unseen. 

“Normally after school,” Koch said, “people would go to their dorms to study, but I go to the dorm for a five-hour nap.” 

The naps mean she loses time in the day to study, and her roommates must quiet down because they know she needs to sleep. 

As a child, Koch slept more than average. As a result, she missed out on many childhood activities. Koch’s parents were frustrated with her because she was always sleeping, thinking she was being lazy. However, as time went on, they grew worried about her and decided to have her tested to find out what was going on with their daughter. 

Ultimately Koch underwent testing while sleeping at the doctor’s office. The doctors had her sleep for an hour and woke her up every 15 minutes. They put muscle sensors all over her body and waited a whole night for the results. 

They tested for over 600 sleep disorders. If the first night didn’t show anything, she would go for more testing the next day. As they watched her between different naps, they asked her questions like, “Did you dream at all?” They analyzed her answers to determine if she had any disorders. After many studies and a switch of doctors, her current doctor found that Mariah’s condition is idiopathic hypersomnia, which is a form of narcolepsy, along with excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep paralysis.

 According to the Jazz Pharmaceuticals website, “Everyone with narcolepsy has excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). It could be described as feeling fatigued, irritable, or having difficulty concentrating.”

Koch’s sister has also been diagnosed with narcolepsy. Although the condition is rare to begin with, it is even rarer to find a case where siblings are both experiencing this condition. Because of this, Koch and her sister are being tested at different hospitals to see if narcolepsy could be genetic. For the Koch family, it is a relief for them to have a diagnosis so they can understand the situation and become more familiar with how to treat it. 

At first it was a challenge to find what would help Koch in her daily life, and her body didn’t respond to the low dose of Adderall that she was prescribed. Now, she has a strong dose of Modafinil that strengthens her focus so that she is able to perform better on her schoolwork and participate in normal college activities. 

There’s no diet or foods that can help with narcolepsy, so Koch must rely on the Modafinil to help her stay awake during mornings and afternoons. If she needs a nap, she just misses the afternoon dose. 

“You just have to be patient, but in the end it’s worth all the pain and struggle when you find a way to live a normal life,” Koch said. “And to those without the condition, also be patient. We can’t help our body’s commands to sleep. It can be frustrating, but understand that we are not in control of the amount of sleep we need.”