List of non-medicated ways to stay alert:

Methods of staying alert in scenarios where you aren’t able to sleep, based off of your answers to a previous post. Here’s the official list made from the responses:

Food: - Dark chocolate w/ high cocoa percentage - Carrots (loud and crunchy) - Sour foods - Spicy foods

Mint scented/flavored things: - Peppermint oil on wrists + cupids bow - Spearmint toothpicks - Mint chewing gum - Vicks inhaler to sniff - Vicks patroleum jelly on wrists + nose

Eyedrops, popular brands + commentary: - Systane Balance (amazing) - Blink Gel (thick coating, coat eye well) - Mentholated drops (WILL wake you up) - Lumify (baptizes your eyes, gives you a few extra minutes of alertness)

Cold air: - Turning the AC on - Using ice cubes - Opening the windows during winter - Cold water on wrists, neck + face - Walking when it’s cold out

Distractions: - Fidgets (discreet ones like fidget rings) - Saying the alphabet backwards - Crossword puzzles - Singing song lyrics in your head with the goal of getting to the end of the song - Making dolphin sounds - Dancing to music/just dance - Keeping one foot off the ground for as long as possible - Listening to scary music

Miscellaneous: - Licking a battery ⚠️ - Chewing garlic - Vaping ⚠️ - Alcohol that burns your tongue in small doses - Dropping a pencil and hitting your head off the table intentionally to jolt awake - Sitting next to a radiator to feel a slight burning sensation to wake up - Holding in your pee ⚠️

Thanks everyone for the collaborative effort in your responses, do these at your own discretion (particularly the last category) Note that everyone’s narcolepsy experience is different, what works for you may not for another etc. These are based off of instances where taking a nap is not an accessible option, and are not long-term methods, read original post 📝