Discover what the research says about the impact of following a keto diet to help with narcolepsy.

Alternative treatments linked to lifestyle and dietary choices have become popular in the narcolepsy community.

A keto diet isn’t a substitute for a treatment plan made with a doctor. But there may be a reason to believe that the keto diet can help some people manage their narcolepsy symptoms.

Here’s a look at what we know about keto and narcolepsy.

First, let’s be clear: There are no studies currently available that prove a ketogenic diet can manage symptoms of narcolepsy on its own.

Although there are many anecdotal accounts online of a keto diet working for some people with narcolepsy, there seem to be just as many anecdotes of keto not helping at all or having an unclear impact.

One older study from 2004 looked into the effects of different diets on narcolepsy. Researchers did find that those with narcolepsy experienced small improvements in their daytime fatigue levels while on a low-carbohydrate keto diet.

This evidence is extremely limited, but it does suggest that by inducing relative hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, the keto diet can increase the activation of orexin-containing neurons and make you less sleepy during the day.

Data going back to 2003 shows that people with narcolepsy are more likely to have obesity than people who don’t.

The keto diet is one tool that some people are using to treat narcolepsy. Anecdotally, there are people who say it works, but there are also people who say it didn’t help them.

Conclusive evidence supporting keto as a narcolepsy treatment isn’t currently available, but some older studies do support it.

Narcolepsy is rare, and while there’s no cure, there are medications to help manage symptoms of cataplexy and drowsiness. There are also a host of alternative therapies, some of which may help you.