I thought I was lazy. Turns out I had a sleep disorder | Lindsay Scola

Chronic exhaustion often signals an underlying sleep disorder rather than a lack of willpower or laziness. Millions of people suffer from undiagnosed conditions like narcolepsy, which frequently goes unrecognized for over a decade due to a critical gap in medical education; doctors receive fewer than three hours of training on sleep throughout their entire schooling. Symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, and cataplexy are commonly misattributed to stress or poor lifestyle habits. Beyond the immediate impact on focus and productivity, untreated sleep disorders silently erode long-term health, increasing risks for heart disease, stroke, and cognitive decline. Securing an accurate diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention is essential, as it not only restores physical health but also fundamentally expands an individual’s capacity for creativity, emotional depth, and overall life fulfillment.