It goes without saying that sans research, medical science would be stuck in the Dark Ages. I doubt any of us wishes bloodletting for narcolepsy–or any reason!–was still a thing.
All of this to say, let’s take some time to appreciate the people behind the scenes: the doctors, scientists and researchers responsible for medical breakthroughs.
Enter Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, director of the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine.
When it comes to narcolepsy research, he’s a big name. Dr. Mignot uncovered the genetic mutation that causes the disease responsible for drowsiness, out-of-nowhere “sleep attacks,” hallucinations and more.
Van Winkle’s found some fun facts on sleep from the man who’s no stranger to the topic.
- His dog has narcolepsy.
Dr. Mignot adopted Watson, a Chihuahua, in 2014 – not long after his other dog Bear died (Turns out Bear was a Schipperke who also had narcolepsy). Apparently, Watson’s former owner didn’t want to keep him after his narcolepsy surfaced, so Dr. Mignot gave Watson a new home.
- He loves naps.
During lunch breaks, Dr. Mignot will often take a 30-minute nap. Though a rest this brief doesn’t necessarily usher him into REM sleep, he says 30 minutes is enough to feel refreshed. When napping, he doesn’t dream. In fact…
- He doesn’t often dream.
He said he goes long stretches without dreaming and, when he does dream, it’s usually several dreams packed into a couple of days. The dreams he remembers are usually unpleasant – the kind where you wake up thinking, “Oh, thank God I didn’t do that,” he told Van Winkle’s.
- Chocolate helps him fall back asleep.
Though he admitted his sleep is “a little boring,” Dr. Mignot apparently wakes up once a night. What does he do? He walks to the kitchen, grabs some dark chocolate and, soon, he falls back asleep. It’s a habit he said he won’t soon kick.
Read more about Dr. Mignot here!
Who are some other interesting researchers to research? Share your favorites with Patient Worthy!
