The Girl Who Ran Away In Her Sleep

Home
United Kingdom
Belfast
The Girl Who Ran Away In Her Sleep

A sleep girl discovering her reasons why and raising awareness of narcolepsy

16/03/2026

The impact of missing medication 💊
Tomorrow is a new day ☀️

13/03/2026

Things that cost more energy when you have Narcolepsy - Cooking👩‍🍳
The first clip shows me standing as I wait for my pasta to cook yawning. There was a time in the past when I would sit down ‘just to check something’ and woke up to my apartment filled with smoke. Only my neighbour banged the door, I could have burned the place down.
Not only is it kinda dangerous for us it takes me so much energy to prepare food. The lack of concentration and brain fog doesn’t help when you’re following a recipe either. Here are a few tips i have picked up along the way:

1. The golden rule: you cannot sit down during cooking, ever. I don’t care if it’s in the oven for 45mins, if you sit down, you are a high risk of falling asleep and causing a fire. I’ve learned this the hard way

2. Prep your food when you have a small bit of energy, that way at least when you cook it, you have already chopped the vegs and/or meat. Sit down and do it if it helps, just not when the food is cooking.

3. Keep your meals simple and memorable. Protein with every meal and don’t hit the carbs too hard or you’ll be hitting the pillow even harder 😴
4. If you have the energy to batch cook, do it. But if you don’t, even an extra portion cooked for the next day can really cut down cooking time. Prep breakfast such as overnight oats where you can as if you sleep in at least you can just grab and go.
5. Keep some frozen food and cupboard staples for the evenings you can barely lift your head never mind prepare food.

10/03/2026

Living with narcolepsy means pacing things most people don’t have to think about. Cleaning my house absolutely drains me.

It might not happen all at once anymore, but small progress still counts. Split the tasks down, clean just the sink or a small area, just tidy the clothes on the chair. Breaking it down has helped my mind massively as I always thought I had to do it all at the one time and our energy doesn’t allow that.

08/03/2026

Things that cost more with Narcolepsy: Getting ready to leave the house
It seems to be uphill battle to get my body to move, put on clothes, fix my hair and put some makeup on and leave the house. It’s so exhausting and sometimes you are ready for a nap before you even leave the house 🫠

07/03/2026

Things that cost more energy with Narcolepsy - Period pain😫

As my energy levels are already very depleted, anything on top that takes additional energy nearly puts my lights out 🫠

I was in the gym today on the stair master when I got this horrible shaky feeling come over me. I stopped the machine immediately and I could tell that my body was on the emergency supply. I made my way to the changing room, I felt faint and like I could be physically sick. Putting my head between my legs I sat in the toilet stall trying to breathe as a strong wave of period cramps took over my body. Sweat was literally pouring off me.
As my luck would have it, my gas boiler broke last night and I really needed to get showered. Taking a few deep breaths I trailed myself out of the stall and into the shower. Not surprisingly post shower my whole body felt limp and I sat down as another wave of cramps began. Eventually I summoned the energy to dress myself, albeit very slowly, booked a taxi and put my hair in a wet bun. I had nothing left.
One of my fears is passing out in a public place. There’s a real degree of helplessness and fear with this condition. I pushed through my tiredness to go to the gym today, my energy was at about 30%. So when something like your period arrives, the loss of iron and physical pain it puts your body in wipes you out completely. In addition to that, I could only afford the gym and with the period pain on top of that my body went into complete shutdown.
This is probably the most fearful I have felt due to my poor energy levels and sleep deprivation in a long long time. Please listen to your body 🙈

The video is me having some dinner after I woke up from a 3 hour nap when I got home. I took paracetamol and immediately passed out.

25/02/2026

What’s the point in diagnosis 🩺 ?

22/02/2026

A Sunday Reflection🌚
I had a slow Sunday and was starting to get that familiar criticism creep up so I decided to write down a few words instead ✨

14/02/2026

Cause sometimes we gotta write ourselves a little love note 🤣❤️
Seriously though, let’s be kind to ourselves, we are still standing despite it all and deep down we know we’re legends for putting up with our faulty sleep system 🤣

03/12/2025

November Narcolepsy 😴
A few things I tried this month to really get a hold of my symptoms 🫠

26/11/2025

I’m unlearning the guilt around needing naps, slower days, and extra rest. My energy isn’t the same as everyone else’s — and that’s okay. 💛

18/11/2025

🧠💤 Living with narcolepsy means my dreams don’t always stay in the night. Sometimes they follow me into the day, shaping my mood before I even open my eyes. It took me a long time to realise that the emotional weight of a nightmare is real — even if the dream isn’t.

Writing down my dreams has become a way to release them instead of carrying them. If you wake up with fear, sadness, or heaviness… you’re not alone. Naming it helps. Letting it out helps. Recognising the feeling is the first step in not being trapped by it. 💭✨

12/11/2025

Winter isn’t a season for hustle — it’s a season for rest. 🌙

As the days get shorter, our bodies naturally slow down — and that’s okay. If you live with narcolepsy (or just feel extra tired this time of year), give yourself permission to pause, breathe, and lean into the slower rhythm of winter. ❄️💤

WinterArc

Address

Belfast

Website

http://www.thegirlwhoranawayinhersleep.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Girl Who Ran Away In Her Sleep posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Belfast?