Mama's Got a Brand New Bed (For Now)

Yes, it’s true. I bought a bed for work. My name is Nicole Cortichiato, and I have narcolepsy. It’s a sleep disorder where my sleep schedule is different than yours. Way different, trust me.

Napping is medicine to me. I need a nap every 2-3 hours to function. It doesn’t alleviate all the symptoms, but it helps tremendously and my boss Celia provides me with that accommodation.

I need to sleep like you need to use the bathroom. Unfortunately, finding a bed to sleep on at a moment's notice isn’t easy. Often I’ve had to sleep in a coworker's car while at work, or if I'm out in public, find a coffee shop with a couch. Sometimes, if I’m alert enough, I’ll even walk into a business with a comfortable chair and tell the employee I need to sit down for 30 minutes, say I have narcolepsy or just that I have a medical condition, and hope they will be kind enough to let me rest there.

Fun fact! There are also horses, goats, and dogs that have narcolepsy. See below:

I know... when it’s a dog or other animal, we feel way more empathetic. That poor, poor puppy. Look at what he has to go through. :(

Anyway, I’m not writing to get your sympathy. I’m writing to tell you about my brand new bed. Why did I get a new bed? Well, the old one was this pathetic lawn chair with no lower back support and a screw missing. Not to mention it was three rounds in the boxing ring to find a comfortable sleeping position!

So, I found two different businesses that make a portable blow-up bed (Outdoor Junkie and Akface). A portable bed I can carry around with me and fold up into a purse? Awesome! Naturally I bought one from each company (one to keep with me and one to stay at work). Now if they could just sell it in a vending machine... Then I would really be in heaven.

Me in the midst of a work nap on a new bright blue bed.
Remember: no nap is complete without a blanket and Teddy. Yes, this is a medical condition.

The beds arrived AND I slept like a baby for two weeks! But then... one day I fell back trying to sit on one, and I hit my head pretty hard on a bookshelf. Ever try getting on an inner tube in the water? These beds are just like that, only there is no water. So, after my little accident, I decided to sleep on the couch in Room 101, which is sometimes available but definitely not a permanent solution for space reasons. For now, I guess I will keep the beds for when the couch isn’t an option, and maybe I need to look for a helmet to go with the blow-up beds:

Me in a motorcycle helmet. Somehow the lawn chair doesn’t seem so bad now.

So if you think a nap would do you some good at work – you know, to increase productivity – then I fully support your decision to get a bed and take naps at work. My suggestion though would be to get a giant bean bag chair or some other safer option. And if you have any suggestions for my plight, please send them my way, because mama could always use a brand new bed.

If you want to learn more about narcolepsy, you can find more information here: http://med.stanford.edu/narcolepsy/symptoms.html

Happy Napping!

Nicole