I thought I was lazy. Turns out I had a sleep disorder | Lindsay Scola
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What early signs made Lindsay suspect her exhaustion wasn’t just laziness?
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Is your tired different? It's a question sleep expert, Lindsay Scola, wishes someone had asked her years ago. For nearly two decades, she was so exhausted that she'd slip into a bathroom stall in the middle of the workday, lean her head against the wall, and fall asleep just to make it through. She wasn't lazy. Something else was going on entirely, and every doctor she saw waved it off.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are walking around exhausted, untreated, and thinking it's normal to feel this way. We've been taught to push through exhaustion instead of asking about it. This isn't an epidemic of laziness. It's a failure of diagnosis.
Lindsay was eventually diagnosed with narcolepsy, a neurological condition, after 19 years of symptoms, shame, and self-doubt. In her talk, she explains why misdiagnosis is shockingly common and points to a startling gap in how doctors are trained.
In medical schools worldwide, doctors receive on average less than three hours of education on sleep. Total. Across their entire medical training.
She makes the case that sleep disorders are one of the most under-recognized health problems we have, affecting as many as one in five people. Because for Lindsay, and she believes millions more, getting the right diagnosis won't just change how you feel, it'll change who you can become. That's coming up right after a short break.
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How did Lindsay’s experience in school and politics reveal hidden sleep problems?
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How do you build a career you're proud of? It's easy to get caught up in the impact you hope to have or the legacy you want to leave behind. But how much of that is actually within your control?
Something that I believe is that legacy is totally out of your control. Like legacy is something that's other people determine, but what is in your control is is contribution. And your actions around that.
I really grew up, you know, into my 20s, maybe even 30s, thinking that, that like if I didn't do something that meaningful and important, then like I hadn't done something worthwhile. Find out how to build a career you're proud of in this episode of my podcast, Work Life, featuring actress and director Bryce Dallas Howard.
Why did doctors dismiss her symptoms and what tests were initially performed?
And don't worry, we'll get into the Neppo Baby conversation. I'm Molly Graham, and you can find Work Life, a podcast from Ted, wherever you listen.
And
now our TED Talk of the Day.
I was one of those overachiever kids. Twelve things going at once, already dreaming of changing the world. And I was so excited to go to summer school at Yale when I was 16. I didn't say I was cool. The classes were tough and thought provoking, but that's when something strange started happening to me. I'd be sitting in class completely engaged when suddenly A fog rolled in. My thoughts fuzzed, my senses dull, the world blurred. Like someone was slowly turning a dimmer switch on my brain. I'd pinch my thigh, tap my foot, anything to fight this overwhelming urge to sleep. Once I bit my tongue so hard it bled. And then the thought would hit me like a hammer. If I don't go to sleep right now, I'm going to die.
So somehow quietly I'd excuse myself, slip into a bathroom stall, lean my head against the wall, and fall asleep. When I told my family doctor, she said, You're busy. Busy people are tired. It felt dismissive, but also like some secret initiation into adulthood.
What finally led to Lindsay’s narcolepsy diagnosis after 19 years?
I had big dreams, a lot to accomplish, so I figured I just had to get better at being awake. When I started working in professional politics, exhaustion was a badge of honor.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What early signs made Lindsay suspect her exhaustion wasn’t just laziness?
0:03–1:49
2
How did Lindsay’s experience in school and politics reveal hidden sleep problems?
1:49–2:56
3
Why did doctors dismiss her symptoms and what tests were initially performed?
2:56–4:28
4
What finally led to Lindsay’s narcolepsy diagnosis after 19 years?
4:28–5:57
5
How common are sleep disorders and why are they often missed by clinicians?
5:57–7:17
6
What are the health risks of untreated sleep disorders like narcolepsy?
7:17–9:10
7
How did proper treatment change Lindsay’s daily life, creativity, and career?
9:10–10:50
8
What steps can listeners take if they think their tiredness is different?
10:50–13:36
Speakers
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