SomnusNooze
Need information relating to your IH? Love things that are FREE? Our Hypersomnia Foundation website is full of FREE resources for individuals with IH and related sleep disorders (and their loved ones). Our website offers an “IH Standard Characteristics” document you can share with your doctors, family and friends; a Healthcare Provider Directory of physicians who are familiar with IH and related sleep disorders; IH-specific Medical Alert cards; Anesthesia Guides for people with IH who are considering surgery; Education Guides for students of all ages who have IH; Disability Resources; and much more! Go to the “Resources” tab on our website to download all of this free information, plus more. And visit our website often for updates and new materials.
Here are some details about these free resources:
“IH STANDARD CHARACTERISTICS” DOCUMENT
Have you ever had difficulty explaining your IH symptoms to others, including doctors? That’s why we created a simple, one-page document entitled “Idiopathic Hypersomnia Standard Characteristics.” Reviewed and approved by our Medical Advisory Board, this document summarizes common characteristics of IH, and can easily be shared with friends, families and physicians. Download this useful tool to educate others and raise awareness!
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER DIRECTORY
Need a physician who understands IH? If you are looking for a healthcare provider experienced in the treatment of people with hypersomnias, check out our Healthcare Provider Directory. Our directory is always growing thanks to input from you. If you are a physician specializing in sleep disorders, please consider joining our registry. If you are a patient or caregiver and would like to recommend that your healthcare provider join our directory, please email with your provider’s name and contact information and we will reach out to them.
MEDICAL ALERT CARD FOR PEOPLE WITH IH
Are you living with IH? If so, how will you alert emergency personnel about your IH if you are in an accident (especially if there is no one else able to speak on your behalf)? And how can you be sure that the emergency personnel will even know what IH is? You can solve this problem by downloading and carrying our FREE Medical Alert Card, designed specifically for people with idiopathic hypersomnia! Click HERE for more details. If you are unable to download your Medical Alert Card, please contact and we will send one to you via the mail.
ANESTHESIA GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH IH
If you have IH or a related sleep disorder and need anesthesia for a surgical procedure, be sure to download our free “Anesthesia and IH Guide” and share it with your doctors BEFORE your surgery. Many healthcare providers are not familiar with IH, and our continued goal is to educate everyone–including doctors–about the anesthesia-related issues that must be considered before, during, and after any procedure involving anesthesia when you have IH. One of our HF supporters recently discovered just how valuable our Anesthesia Guide could be when she underwent surgery. (In fact, she sent us her #PJSandPILLOWS2018 selfie right from her hospital bed!) After downloading and sharing our “Anesthesia and IH Guide” with her medical team, she said, “The anesthesiologists were very aware of my IH and took many precautions. Your Anesthesia Guide was so helpful and my surgery was a success!”
EDUCATION ESSENTIALS GUIDES
Are you a student with IH or a related sleep disorder, trying to navigate K-12 or higher education? Are you a parent, trying to help your child with IH succeed in school? Let us help. Our website contains a series of education guides, entitled “Education Essentials for Students,” geared towards students in K-12 and higher education. Learn about accommodations that schools are required to provide to students with IH, and discover how other students with IH have succeeded in their educational goals. Don’t let your sleepiness stop you from achieving your dreams.
DISABILITY RESOURCES
Navigating through the disability system can be challenging. Do you have questions about your rights at the workplace? Do you know what SSA Disability benefits are available for someone with IH? Do you have questions about service dogs? Read through our online library of disability-related articles and let us help answer your questions.
HF BROCHURE
Help others (including doctors, employers, and loved ones) learn more about idiopathic hypersomnia and related sleep disorders by sharing our HF brochure with them. Our brochure describes, in layman’s terms, the symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and research of IH. It also provides pertinent information about the HF. Click HERE to download our brochure or request that copies be mailed to you by completing our web form.
RESEARCH STUDIES PAGE
Ever wonder how you (or a loved one) can help unlock the mysteries of IH and related sleep disorders? Consider joining a research study! A number of research studies are currently recruiting people with IH and other sleep disorders. The HF has collected information on its website about research studies, both occurring now and in the past, which involve IH and related sleep disorders. Your participation in a research study could make all the difference to yourself and the IH community. Click HERE for more information.
LEARN ABOUT RELATED DISORDERS
Did you know that current treatments for idiopathic hypersomnia, narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, Kleine-Levin syndrome, and hypersomnia associated with certain disorders are very similar, and current research indicates that there may also be significant overlap among them? This is why it is important to address and research them together. Read this overview on our website that will help you understand the differences and similarities between these related sleep disorders. The more we know, the more we can educate others and get #BeyondSleepy.
GET EVEN MORE FREE INFORMATION!
The HF website contains even more free information than what is listed above, so please take the time to browse our website. Use the convenient search bar to find exactly what you’re looking for, and be sure to check back often for updates. And if you find the information and the free resources helpful, please consider making a DONATION to the Hypersomnia Foundation! As a nonprofit organization, we are totally dependent on donations such as yours to help us fulfill our mission of improving the lives of people living with IH. We can’t do it without you!