4 Tiny Habits That Help Me Manage Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Living with idiopathic hypersomnia means that sleep — the desire to sleep and rest — often overtakes every other bodily function and priority. Every little thing, like cooking dinner, is an energy expenditure that needs to be weighed against the need to rest.

For me, I struggled for years ensuring that I not only ate enough, but was getting enough nutrients to be able to sustain and fuel my body. These are some tips and tricks I learned along the way. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest … and I’m not in any way a qualified medical professional!

4 tips for more energy with idiopathic hypersomnia

Hydration and electrolytes are key

Focus on getting enough water, and especially electrolytes. Something that did help improve my energy was making sure to incorporate electrolytes into my everyday routine.

My favorites are Nuun tablets and LMNT (I like that they don’t taste overly sweet). When you sleep a lot, you can wake up really dehydrated. Some studies have shown that people with IH are particularly prone to dehydration which can further exacerbate symptoms like fatigue, muscle cramps and spasms, headaches, dizziness and brain fog.

Increase vegetable intake

While I am typically an adventurous eater, when you aren’t hungry and suffering from intense periods of IH, you crave simple, familiar foods.

For me, I was eating a lot of pastas and breads and not focused on incorporating nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables. T

his wasn’t helping my body recover as efficiently as it probably could have. So much like parents of toddlers do, I started hiding vegetables in my meals!

My favorite way to do this is to buy the Trader Joe’s Indian meals (butter chicken, chicken tikka masala) that are quick and easy to heat up. Then I add handfuls of frozen spinach or frozen broccoli and voila — protein, carb, veggie complete meal in under 7 minutes. It’s not fancy, but when you’re exhausted it’s nourishing and requires almost no decision making.

Infrared saunas contain benefits for people with IH

Exercise intolerance is something that many people with idiopathic hypersomnia have to contend with. This can really impact your physical, mental, and emotional health long term.

In order to get my heart rate up without exhausting myself, I started going to the infrared sauna about three times a week.

This has also improved my quality of sleep, as regular sauna sessions are associated with reduced risk of poor-quality sleep. The infrared sauna is my favorite since I am sensitive to the high heat of traditional saunas, but still enjoy the relaxation and circulation benefits.

Create a de-stress daily ritual

Lavender has been widely used as a natural remedy for dealing with stress and promoting relaxation and better sleep. I love lavender and every night I heat up a lavender heat pad, spray my pillow with lavender mist, and drink a tea with lavender.

It’s a small ritual, but creating cues for my body that it’s time to wind down has made my evenings feel calmer and more predictable.

Idiopathic hypersomnia management isn't a one size fits all approach

These are just a few small practices that have helped me manage life with IH a little better. None of them are magic fixes, but together they’ve made my days feel a bit more manageable.

If you’re living with IH too, I hope you find something here that helps, even if it’s just the reminder that you’re not alone in figuring it out.