Q I commute by bus in Dong-gu, Incheon, and I often miss my stop because of drowsiness. Is there anything that actually helps with managing daytime sleepiness?
A Taking short naps of under 20 minutes (power naps) at set times is the most effective approach. While traveling, set an alarm and get into the habit of standing up at the stop before your destination. Keeping a regular schedule reduces the frequency of sleep attacks.
Detailed Answer
For people with narcolepsy, strategic naps (15-20 minutes, once or twice a day) are central to symptom management. A short nap at a set time keeps you alert for the next several hours. Keeping the same bedtime and wake time every day and securing enough nighttime sleep also lowers the frequency of daytime drowsiness. While traveling, using multiple alarms and aids such as automatic transit-card gates can help reduce mistakes.
Oriental Medicine Clinic Perspective
When you keep a regular sleep rhythm together with Oriental medicine treatment, the spleen qi gains room to recover. Drinking warm water after waking in the morning and waking up the yang energy with light stretching is recommended in Korean medicine as a way to circulate spleen qi evenly.
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