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Ever since I can remember I have fallen asleep at the end of dinner, as soon as I pick up a book, in the car and during lectures and movies. I've interrepted this often embarrassing tendency in many ways - too much wine (I then stopped drinking) ... too stupid to follow the gist of a lecture (I then started avoiding reading and lectures and chose a life full of endless physical movement) ...too bored at the wheel (I stocked up on country and western music to keep myself awake.)  My life is not exactly ruled by this problem - but it is definitely affected by it.

My whole family are being tested at Enterolab for Celiac. The original stimulus for the testing came from my husbands intransigent irritable bowel problems. Then I did some reading and realized that other, seemingly unconnected, family issues, might all be linked to Celiac. The list is long - Autism-like behavior in a two year old, allergies and ADD in two other kids, a thyroid tumor and extreme thinness in my oldest daughter, depression and ADD in the next daughter, ADD in our son and lactose intolerance in our youngest daughter.

Up until this morning, the only symptoms of Celiac that I thought I could recognize in myself were ADD and chronic constipation. Then I suddenly wondered if my tendency to fall asleep at strange times is narcolepsy and if it is also a byproduct of celiac. I read on Google that narcolepsy has been thought to be an autoimmune disease.

If anyone has experience with this I would love to know whether the tendency to fall asleep improves on a gluten free diet. Since I have been off gluten as an experiment while waiting for my results from Enterolab, I've actually felt that my sleepiness has gotten worse. Would that be because I am now more sensitive to gluten (I'm trying to be careful with the diet but I know I'm making mistakes) or is there a healing crisis that accompanies the beginning of a gluten free diet which makes the symptoms seem worse for a time.

Thanks in advance - I will definitely summarize.

Jeannie

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *