The first day of class this summer, my professor started to give a lecture before noticing a student was asleep. The professor pointed this out, embarrassing the student when they awoke, but then quickly acknowledged the student may have a medical condition before moving on.
Unfortunately, I have seen many professors point out someone sleeping during a lecture, and then allow the whole class to laugh at them. They might even go on to make jokes about them.
What these professors do not realize are the devastating physical, mental and emotional distresses inflicted upon the 50,000 Americans diagnosed with a sleeping disorder. They probably also don’t know that as many as 2 million additional Americans have narcolepsy yet go undiagnosed. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder marked by sudden, uncontrollable urges to sleep, causing an individual to fall asleep at inappropriate times.
I have a friend who has narcolepsy, and she is the bravest and most driven person I know. She has to give 100 times more effort than anyone else in her classes and needs encouragement, not her professors pointing out her misfortune and making her the spectacle of the class.
So the next time you see someone sleeping in class, politely tap them on the shoulder with a smile. You may have just done the nicest thing that person has had done for them all day. If you’re a professor and you see someone sleeping in your class, please keep in mind it could be the result of a medical condition.